No Big Deal
by chichirichick
Summary: AU Soul Eater. Soul takes a class in order to save Black Star's GPA but ends up meeting Maka. She's the perfect lab partner, but is she more than that?
1. Bio 101

Here's an AU Souleater MakaxSoul fic. I know I've still left two other MakaxSoul fics unfinished, and I promise I'll get to them, but for some reason, I can't get this out of my head. I feel like them being in real-world college has been done before, but I hope you enjoy this.

* * *

Soul already regretted agreeing to sign up for the same class as Black Star. So far, Black Star's contribution was nothing more than a play by play of the hot girls in the room. To be honest, these lower-level classes were usually drowning in them so he had plenty of material. The current focus was a tall black haired girl with, as Black Star had so delicately put it, an amazing rack. He leaned back in his chair, trying to look nonchalantly in that direction but his eyes stopped one seat short.

The blond girl wasn't wasting any time, her eyes scanning through the syllabus that everyone had picked up but no one had bothered to put the effort into reading yet. The professor wasn't even in the room yet and she was so intent on the material that she was putting the rest of them to shame. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth but he resisted, his eyes still studying her. The honey blond hair in pigtails gave her that innocent look, almost as if she wasn't old enough to be there in the first place.

And although her face still had some of that cherubic roundness to it, he could see defined cheekbones starting to poke through. He wondered for a second if the rest of her was slow to blossom just like her face, by then the grin settling on his face, laughing at himself and how ridiculous he was being just staring at a girl he didn't even know. It was her eyes, though, that made him unable to look away, a shocking verdant green that darted across the page as she read. Even if it meant getting caught staring, he wished she'd look at him, because, man, if she looked at him with half the interest of those words…

"Earth to Soul," Black Star barked.

"Yeah?" Soul finally snapped his eyes to his best friend but let his mind keep wandering back to those eyes.

"The kid behind me said this professor is weird." Extra emphasis was lent to that last word, stretching it out as if it had extra syllables. "And he assigns the lab partners!"

Well, there went the rest of the reasoning for being in the class altogether. The whole point was to get his lab science out of the way while keeping Black Star afloat but if he wasn't even going to end up getting partnered with him he might as well drop to some easier lab rather than Biology. He huffed and considered opening his laptop right away to make the change, wish Black Star good luck, and hope the door didn't hit him on the way out. Instead, the professor walked in, creating that tell-tale hush in the room.

Weird was probably the right word or at least the first word in the many lists of similar adjectives that could be used to describe Professor Stein. His hair had already completely grayed but he looked as if he could barely be forty and he was absurdly tall, his lankiness making him seem so much more so. His smile was also something that looked more fitting on a Jack-o-lantern, and the stain splattered lab coat didn't really comfort either. So when his mouth opened, the whole room seemed to shrink in fear.

"This is Biology 101 with Professor Stein. Be prepared to breakdown just about any creature you can think of." There were a few disgusted moans, seeming to bolster Stein's creepy smile. "I've already assigned you lab partners so as I call your name, please find your new _friend _for the semester."

Black Star's groan joined the many, but Soul just leaned forward across the lab table, waiting for the right time when opening his laptop wouldn't exactly look rude. Stein didn't seem to throw out names in any order, not necessarily linking by alphabet or any other identifiable pattern. He was thankfully slow enough that people just seemed to stand at their name, the two partners taking a minute to look at each other with a variety of emotions ranging from malaise to delight.

"Soul Evans…"

Soul stood slowly and jammed his hands into his pocket, his grin falling from his mouth.

"And Maka Albarn."

The blond stood in what felt like slow motion, her hair delicately cascading over her shoulder as just her head turned to look at him, those glowing green eyes finally focused on his.

"Oh, shit," he couldn't stop the weak whisper from his mouth. Had he really just said that? The mortification that she could have heard that settled in as he sat back down, watching her sink back to her seat.

"Dude, do you know her?" From the annoyance in his voice, Soul could tell that was the second time Black Star was asking him that question but he was in a daze, completely lost in the fate of the moment.

Soul shook his head, trying to push the embarrassment away from his mind. Why was he even feeling that way, anyway? He didn't even know her and if he could get to his laptop he wouldn't even be her lab partner anymore and he could transfer to some other science that maybe had some kind of interest for him but-

"Please change seats to be with your partner."

He had never been in a rush but his feet seemed to move on their own, catapulting him from his seat almost as soon as Professor Stein had finished his sentence. It wasn't until halfway there that he was able to force himself to slow down, thankfully just in time for her to turn her head again, those beautiful orbs focusing in on him. _Oh, no, beautiful? What are you doing?_ But the chiding didn't work, that word felt even less than adequate to describe them.

"Soul?" Her question seemed less about his identity and more about the name, something he easily tuned into because of the common confusion.

"Yeah, my parents were trying to be creative," he shrugged, "but I assume you get me. Maka's not exactly a common name." Her smile in reply seemed strained and he tried to grin wider as if his would be contagious. "Can I?" he motioned towards the seat next to her.

"Uh, sure." Maka moved her things that had seemed to spread into the space. He dropped his backpack on the table, but before he could even get his butt in the seat he heard a deep breath from her and then the stream of words. "Look, I don't want to be rude but I'm really particular and if you aren't planning on doing the work, please just tell me now and I'll figure something out but I'm going to panic if I don't know now so…"

Usually, when people start with _I don't want to be rude, _it's just a way to absolve them of the asshole comment they're about to make, but the look on her face seemed to actually portray a girl on the edge of dread. And, damn, was she cute biting her lip like that, definitely slinging any dislike for her comment out the window. Soul smoothly reached into his bag, taking out the textbook he'd bought this morning. "I was actually planning on having to carry my friend back there, BS, through this class." He nodded back to Black Star as he fell into his comfortable signature smile.

"BS?" She was thankfully more incredulous about Black Star's name.

"I would say it's because he's full of bullshit, but his name's even weirder than mine." He felt his stomach flip as she actually laughed, a hand coming to her mouth to try to reign it in. It sounded like music to his ears, but he tried to hold onto his cool, leaning an elbow on the desk to hold up his head. "But you shouldn't worry. I'll be a good partner, promise."

"Ah, OK, thanks." Was she blushing? She definitely turned her head from him as if to focus on the book but he could tell her eyes weren't really seeing words on that page.

Soul allowed her to shy away and edged back in the chair, opening his own book to the page Professor Stein had scribbled on the board. It was mostly safety drivel today - don't stick your hand with sharp objects, kids! - and watching the clock was like the old adage that a watched pot never boils. It would have felt longer if it wasn't for the opportunities he had to steal glances at her, finding that each time he looked over she was intent on the paper in front of her as if her life depended on it.

"Since it's the first class, I'll let you out a few minutes early. Perhaps you should take the time to set a study schedule with your partner, but that's up to you." Even Stein's suggestions sounded malicious, almost making Soul's skin crawl.

He watched her quietly as she packed up her things, noticing how everything seemed to be meticulously in order and even - was it color-coded? He was amused to no end at the sight of this, the urge to tease her coming to his lips but he bit it back. She didn't really seem game for that type of stuff and he was already on thin ice as it was. "So, uh, I'm usually around to study weekdays. I definitely can't on Fridays or Saturdays."

Maka's lips tightened into a quick frown that disappeared into a blank almost an instant later. "OK."

"Not that I'm partying or too busy dating or anything." _Damn it, Soul, your mouth._ That humiliation washed over him again, the cool-guy act ripping away at the seams. "I mean, I work those nights, and I can't really switch because it's the only nights I'll actually make money."

The bashfulness from before seemed to be gone and Maka was studying his face, her big, bright eyes dissolving that facade a little further. The pause as she stared at him was agonizing and he thought the room suddenly felt twenty degrees too hot. "What do you do?"

"What?" he gaped.

She repeated herself again, slower, "For work, what do you do?"

"Oh, I play." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he mimed the keys with his fingers. "Piano. At a bar. Lame, I know, but it's what I'm good at."

She stared at him, her mouth opening for just a moment before snapping shut again. Her eyes focused back on her bag, giving Soul a moment of reprieve. "Maybe we could just meet two hours before class. We can decide on other days if it seems necessary."

"Sounds good," but it didn't for some reason.

"We can meet here," she offered, her eyes narrowing in on her bag as if she were still stuffing it.

"Sure." He could feel her getting ready to leave and it made him antsy. How was he going to get her to look at him again without being creepy? It was practically impossible. "Maka…"

And thankfully that was enough, her head instantly turning to him, her eyes widening as if she was surprised by the sound of her own name. "What?"

_What is right! _He didn't have anything in his head. There was no smooth talk to insert and with each second he let tick away he could see her face growing a little more confused, a little more uncomfortable. "What I said - I wasn't lying. I won't let you down." _Oh, brother._ If she wasn't looking straight at him he would have rolled his own eyes at the uncoolness.

"OK…" Yup, completely uncool. But as Maka turned and pulled her bag onto her shoulder she paused. Soul found himself holding his breath. Her head turned back to him and the vibrancy of her smile hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. "I guess I won't either. See you next week."

Next week couldn't come soon enough.


	2. Coffee & Numbers

I'm really enjoying writing this one for now, so please enjoy this installment.

* * *

Next week was coming too soon. It had been weird - it had to have been weird, right? The way she started off with the same, old, stupid, high-strung _I don't want to be rude_ speech that thankfully he just shrugged off! But not enough because he had kept looking at her for the rest of the lecture, probably wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into and how to transfer out of the class as soon as possible. A week wasn't enough time to recover from that kind of social agony. Part of her waited for the email from Professor Stein that she'd been assigned a new partner thanks to the drop.

As she walked back to the classroom, a little bit earlier than the two hour before mark, her mind wouldn't stop with the most embarrassing part of that equation: he was handsome. As in above and beyond the regular scope of guys that she would even have the nerve to talk to. And worst yet, talking was what Soul seemed to be the best at, leaving her with a myriad of _ums _and _uhs _and OKs and yeahs. But Maka had settled into the thought that it was a lab, it was one semester, and it was just five straight hours together once a week that she would have to get through. _No. Big. Deal._

"Hey, Maka." He again somehow looked both purposely disheveled and perfectly groomed at the same time, his hair let loose at sharp angles while his t-shirt almost looked as if it'd been ironed, finished with a leather jacket. He was leaning against the wall to the right of the door, a coffee in each hand.

_No. Big. Deal._ "Hi, Soul."

He offered one of the cups to her, "I don't know what you drink but I brought an extra coffee."

_No. Big. Deal._ "Oh, thanks." Maka took the coffee from him, trying not to lose her breath as her fingers ran over his.

"Want to head this way?" He nodded towards the right. "I think there's a lounge down there."

"Yeah, sure." She followed behind him, bringing the coffee close enough to her nose to get a whiff. It wasn't the trashy student lounge coffee but a beautiful blend of fresh beans that was surely sent from heaven.

"Coffee's OK?"

Maka had to stop herself from jutting the cup away from her face as if she was caught with a cookie before dinner. "I love coffee," spilled from her lips as every last ounce of confidence fled with it.

"Good." He shot a half-smile over his shoulder. "I grabbed some creamers, sugar if you need it."

"No, I like it black."

"Wow, you're tough. I can't do it without at least a creamer." That grin got wider and she felt kind of breathless at the sight of it.

But she couldn't let herself be. If they were going to be partners, she had to get out of this, to break out. "Don't let the schoolgirl look fool you, I'm pretty tough." _Come on, Maka. No. Big. Deal._ "But I'll take it easy on you."

There was a pause, his body turning so he could get a clear look at her before his laugh melted any tension at the moment. "Something tells me that might not be a hundred percent true."

"Which part?" she shot back, the laugh strengthening her confidence in a strange way, making her willing to work to hear it again.

"The part where you take it easy on me." She was almost sure she saw him wink before he turned back, making the final steps to the lounge area. There were sets of four chairs facing each other around small coffee tables. Soul took a seat, pulling the chair closer to the table before depositing his coffee there then moving to open his backpack. "Look, I made some notes, but I'm going to assume you've outdone me."

"Why?" Maka already knew the answer, not particularly embarrassed by the studious vibe she obviously gave of but definitely painfully aware of the way it made some people treat her.

He spread out papers on the table but paused to look up at her, that toothy grin making his teeth almost seem sharp. "The schoolgirl look, remember?" Thankfully he went back to the pile, letting her exhale before he continued. "And the post-partner assignment panic."

Maka plopped into the seat, barely keeping her coffee from spilling, and couldn't stop a groan from escaping her lips. Soul looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry about that," she admitted, much to her own surprise. "I just… I've always been a bit of a perfectionist." The last part trailed off a mumble, hiding her mouth against the coffee cup as she took a tentative sip.

"Don't be sorry." Again, he seemed to laugh it off, as if her behavior was actually endearing rather than awkward. "I'm also willing to admit that I don't exactly look like the responsible type."

"You do give off a… biker vibe?" She offered, still not entirely sure of what he actually fit into in her mind. Realistically, she hadn't gotten much past his grin or lanky tallness to really identify his outfit choices yet.

How he could possibly smile as much as he did was beyond her, her own face muscles feeling tired from mimicking the intensity of his own grins. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Maka finally tore her eyes from his face, trying not to think about that smile as she took the necessary papers out of her bag, piling them next to Soul's. She sat back, holding the coffee like a precious offering while he leafed through her pages.

A whistle came from his lips and she couldn't help but laugh. "You are a perfectionist."

"I'm also pretty smart, too." A feeling of euphoria washed over her after that playful boast, after watching it elicit another laugh from his mouth. "Quiz me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Slowly it began to feel like no big deal. They fell into a steady stream of questions, flipping through notes to find things to stump one another, bragging or teasing along the way. Soul had eventually slipped off the chair, finding a weird position jammed between the chair and the table, his feet elevated on the edge. He was just about to ask another question before he eyes caught his watch, a gentle huff coming from his mouth. "Fifteen before class. We should go."

Maka started to collect her notes and things into her bag, her eyes still hesitantly moving to watch him out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Maka…"

"Yeah?" She was almost half afraid he'd caught her looking, but his eyes were still decidedly on his own papers, his own backpack.

"Today was good, but…"

_But. But. But._ A tiny flower of panic started to blossom in her chest.

"I really don't want to sit through Stein's lecture now. My brain feels fried." Soul finished throwing everything haphazardly in his backpack, those fiery eyes catching hers. "Maybe we could space it out, maybe one non-class night a week? Or two shorter sessions?"

_So see each other two, three times a week rather than just one?_ It made sense. It was logical. Did she really want to sit through the same material for another three hours of lab? No way. But that meant she'd probably be spending more overall time with him than with her roommate. "I guess we try each and see?"

"So, maybe Thursday next week?" He stood, pulling his backpack over his shoulder. It was completely unnecessary, but he held his hand out to her as if getting out of the seat would be a hardship.

Maka could absolutely get up on her own without a second of strain but she took his hand, his eyes widening as if he hadn't expected her touch. Soul studied the connection as if it were a novelty before quickly slipping his hand from hers. He was flustered and she had to stop herself from mirroring his own surprise from a moment before. It seemed impossible for him to be unsure but there it was. "Thursday is fine."

"Yeah, OK, Thursday," came his quick reply. By the time they arrived at the classroom, filing in behind the last few students, he was back to grins and sideways glances.

She should have had enough on her plate, literally since Stein has supplied them with the basic frog that evening, but her mind kept focusing on that mask that had slipped off his face. It didn't elicit fear but a wave of relief, as if that perfection that she saw in him was perfectly flawed instead, a trait that she ultimately preferred. A trait that maybe meant… maybe it meant this wasn't going to be no big deal.

* * *

_It was no big deal,_ Soul kept repeating in his head for the entirety of the week.

_It was no big deal,_ he repeated as he thought he saw Maka's face in the student center, her name almost instantly coming to his lips before he grasped the shoulder of another anonymous blond that looked at him with exasperation.

_It was no big deal,_ he repeated as she came up one too many times in conversation with Black Star, who had already started to refer to her, both playfully and sarcastically, as his lab girlfriend. "As if she'd give you a second look," was added lovingly, of course. It got so bad that the rest of the house was now in on it, Kilik and Kim joining in at any chance.

_It was no big deal,_ he repeated as he would remember at night before bed the way it had felt just to touch her hand. _Just her hand_. And how surprised he had been, at that moment and now every moment since, that it was a whole new sensation.

Because it couldn't be a big deal. It wasn't like Soul had never touched, kissed, even fooled around with a girl before. There were odds and ends throughout high school and his first year in college. He'd only made it to his second year without going all the way because, to be honest, none of them seemed worth it. Sex came with the baggage of being tied to that person in a way that meant you stayed. People lie all the time and say there's sex without attachment, but Soul knew that was bullshit. And since he'd never felt an attachment, he'd never risked hurting another person like that. It wasn't fair.

And it always started this way, the innocent flirting: talking outside of class, usually starting under the guise of studying or notes swapping, but turning into coffee dates to dinner to a party to the bedroom. A simple age-old progression that he had mastered to the point where he got what he needed without actually feeling like he needed anyone. He had been a well-oiled machine until Maka.

The flirting had gone smoothly, even after she came out of her shell a little more and didn't allow him to have all the fun. To be honest, he swooned a little at her _I'll take it easy on you_ line which was when she started to edge to above average. But he started to really feel _it_, that weird something that was more than nothing, when she apologized. It wasn't something he had wanted or expected from her, but with that admission about herself, he found himself yearning for more rather than just the usual glance over her personality.

Suddenly it was hitting him all at once: she was smart, she was capable, maybe originally shy but eventually finds her own, and, damn it, she was beautiful without knowing it. When he held out his hand he had actually no idea why he had done it in the first place. She totally could have gotten out of that chair on her own and it was ridiculous to offer her help, almost insulting that he'd assume she needed it. It was one jolt after another. First, she reached for him, then she took his hand, and then his heart leaped into his throat as a tingle ran down his spine.

Maka saw it all, too. A terrifying development, her seeing something in him that probably no one had ever seen before. Even worse, though she showed surprise for a moment, there was nothing after that. She didn't probe, didn't push, just let him show himself and take it away without a word. Each time he thought about it again he found himself wanting to tell her more, letting her see that other side and seeing what she'd do.

By the time the week past to Tuesday night again, that _no big deal_ had turned into a faint whisper.

Soul was still so focused on his thoughts that he almost didn't hear her say, "Hey, Soul," as she sat next to him at the lab table. Maka was wearing her hair down, swimming in an oversized sweater over leggings.

Soul tried not to let his eyes linger over her, this new look a little too much after all the thoughts of the week. "Hey, Maka." He slid the second coffee almost directly into her hand, risking touching her again but finding himself unsuccessful.

"Again?" She let out a laugh, pulling the cup towards her and bringing it to hide below table level. "And you know if Stein sees it he'll flip. No food and drink, or did you not listen to the first day's safety lecture?"

"I definitely had more interesting things on my mind that day." Soul shrugged but mimicked her move with his own cup, taking a quick glance at the door to make sure Stein wasn't there yet. "And don't worry about the coffee."

"No, I should pay you back." Maka started to rummage through her bag, trying to find her wallet that always seemed to fall to the bottom.

It was too hard not to give in and he found himself reaching for her, letting his fingers graze the arm that was reaching in her bag. "Seriously, it's fine." It was torture since all she did was smile and let her arm run under his fingers as she pulled her arm from the bag. "So, Thursday, right?"

"That's still fine, but I guess we should decide what time and where."

Was it too soon to invite her to the house? And would that idiot gang he lived with let him live it down with her there? On second thought, that sounded like a terrible idea unless he could ensure they'd be alone, something that never happened in the house anyway, and then they'd be alone and he wasn't entirely sure he could handle that yet. Unless she offered, her place was off-limits, whether that was the dorm, which he assumed it was, or her own apartment.

He'd wasted too much time thinking because Stein slid through the door, plunging Maka immediately into the notes, tabling their conversation for afterward. It was amusing, that tunnel-vision she had for school, and found himself ignoring the lecture to wonder what made her that way. He was in danger of losing himself in questions about her and he had to force himself to make Stein his focus. It was near impossible.

It felt like an eternity before Stein scraped the chalk across the board for the last time, releasing them with the promise of more blood and guts next class. "Here." Maka slid her notebook towards him, already having closed the cover.

"Huh?"

"You were… distracted today." Maka moved her eyes from his to her bag. "You can borrow my notes until Thursday, to copy, or whatever."

"Oh, thanks." He grabbed the notebook, treating it with a ridiculous amount of care as he slid it into his backpack.

She was already standing, still trailing her eyes everywhere but him. "And I hope everything's OK."

"Huh?" He almost groaned at the boundless reaches of his eloquence.

"Never mind," her smile was sweet though, not even a touch of annoyance. She started walking past him, "Just take a look at the notes tonight. See you Thursday."

"Bye," he called after her. It wasn't until she was out the door that he realized they hadn't set a time, place, any of the things that had been in the forefront of his thoughts throughout class. He was in an instant panic, spending the rest of the evening trying to figure out how to troubleshoot this. That panic stayed until he opened the notebook, finding her phone number scrawled across the top of today's notes.


	3. Invitations

I am unable to write anything but this right now. I apologize. Please enjoy.

* * *

Maka's heart had pounded the whole way back to the dorm. There was no way that she had been that smooth, that she had given him her number without prompting or provoking. But this was apparently a new Maka Albarn, a Maka that was letting herself _like_ someone. That guarded part of her chimed in, insisting that he needed a way to reach her for class and that was it. Remember, this was a business deal, not some K-drama. Those reservations always seemed to have the last say.

There had been some explaining to do when Tsubaki finally arrived back to the room. "You ditched me," Tsubaki groaned, throwing her back on the couch.

She couldn't exactly explain that she couldn't risk Soul catching up with her after class, the nerve of her actions only going so far. "Sorry, I had to pick a few things up. How's B.S.?" It wasn't fair, but she knew this was an easy way to divert Tsubaki's attention since those initials had been a constant in their conversations since the class started. From the sound of it, Soul had really lucked out with Maka, that's for sure.

"He had something that resembled notes today." There was a long, tired sigh to punctuate.

Maka couldn't help the laugh as Tsubaki plopped onto the couch. "Progress?" Before she could gauge her reaction, Maka heard her phone buzz from her bag, instantly sending her into a frenzy to get it out.

The SMS was clear on the screen, a number she didn't have saved. "_You tricked me."_

She could feel the heat rise from her stomach, up her neck, to her cheeks.

"What's that face for?" Tsubaki narrowed her eyes.

Maka practically fumbled her phone as if Tsubaki were looking over her shoulder, not a few feet away. "Oh, nothing!"

The suspicion melted to concern, "Are you OK?"

"Fine!" She pocketed her phone, her mind running through all the possible answers. "I'm just, I'm going to get ready for bed, I think."

"It's so early," Tsubaki started to get up from the couch, "Are you sure nothing wrong?"

"Nothing!" Maka hurried into her room, shutting the door to the rest of the suite. They'd been lucky, well, really, she had been lucky, since with Tsubaki's family ties they'd scored one of the fancy suites in the new dorm. It allotted her some privacy, able to hide in the small cubicle she called a room. There was just enough space for the twin bed jammed to one side and a desk to the other. She tossed her bag on the chair at the desk before catapulting herself onto the bed, cell phone in hand.

She stared at the message again before typing her own. "_No trick. I was being nice."_

There was barely a breath before the next message popped onto the screen. "_Define nice."_

"_Socially acceptable. Did you decide where we're meeting?"_ Her heart was in her throat. She could invite him here, especially since Tsubaki was so kind that she'd never even suggest it was something other than a study session but was that OK? And what if Tsubaki wasn't here?

"_Library? Lounge again? My house has B.S. +2 so…"_

She couldn't stop herself from derailing the conversation. "_You live with him?"_

"_I swear he's not all bad." _A second message pinged. "_I hear you live with his partner?"_

"_Yup, Tsubaki. Spartoi Hall Dorm."_ For a second she typed _come here_ but deleted it, her reserved half whispering in her head. "_Library. They have study rooms, right?"_ Time actually started to tick by, her question staring back at her. Maka rolled onto her stomach, trying to will the phone back to life, overexaming how the last suggestion could have destroyed the flow.

"_Library OK. Early? 3?"_

Maka bit her lip, trying to summon that number writing bravery again. "_3\. No coffee necessary."_

"_Don't take away the things I enjoy."_

That heat brushed at her stomach again. "_I guess I'll start keeping a tally."_

"_Don't worry, I'll cash in."_

She pushed her phone forward, letting her face fall on her arms, covering the blush rising over her cheeks. It took at least three breaths to get herself composed enough to look at the screen again, a new message from him had buzzed between her fingers while she had recovered.

"_See you Thursday."_

* * *

"Look at that face." Kim was practically shouting, drawing the attention of the Kilik and Black Star faster than a fly to honey.

"What face?" Soul's voice went up ten octaves as his hands scrambled for a better grip on his phone. It ended up tumbling to the ground at the foot of the beaten recliner he was in, the perfect opportunity for Kim to snatch it. "No, no, no!" But for all his scrambling, he wasn't even close to being fast enough to grab it from her, face-planting on the floor as her foot smashed into his shoulder to keep him down.

"_Don't worry, I'll cash in._" Kim tried her best to deepen her voice, mimicking Soul poorly. Regardless of the quality, Black Star and Kilik were already halfway to the floor laughing. "_See you Thursday._ You forgot to name her lab girlfriend in your phone, Soul."

"Give it back, Kim," he grumbled from his prone position on the floor, her foot too firm in the center of his shoulders.

Kim wiggled her thumbs over the screen, raising an eyebrow at the other two boys. "What do you think I should text her?"

"_Can I get a whiff of your panties_?" Black Star offered.

Kilik went for the tradition slap to the back of the head as Kim groaned as the over the top suggestion. "How about you invite her over so we can actually see what the fuss is about?" Kilik continued to press on Black Star's head to keep him from drowning out the far better suggestion.

"Oh, I like that." There were one or two taps on the phone screen.

Soul was floundering now, the panic started to negate the weight on his shoulder. "Kim, I swear-"

"_I know it's early, but we always do a Halloween party at the house. You should come._" Kim paused, her finger dangling over the send button as she looked to the boys.

"No way, no hook-ups at the Halloween party, you know the rules," Black Star lips curled a little in disgust from the suggestion of tarnishing tradition. "Halloween is for real friends only."

"Definitely not a hook-up," Kilik shook his head.

Black Star finally got out of his grasp, his face still looking sour. "Soul is only about the hook-up."

Soul just about had his hands underneath himself, almost enough leverage to push out from underneath Kim. "I'm about to kill everyone in this room if you don't-"

"Twenty bucks says she's not a hook-up," Kim grinned, her fingers still primed.

"You're on!" Black Star's previous disgust for marring their holiday quietly wilted at the prospect of the bet.

"Sent!" Kim chimed, finally removing her foot from Soul's back. She dangled the phone down, letting it go into his weak grasp.

The SMS was there, a bright bubble on the screen, definitely sent. Soul stared at it for a moment before switching to another contact, his red eyes burning up at Kim. "Guess Ox is coming then."

Kim's foot went to connect with his back again, finding just the floor as Soul rolled away. "What?"

Soul tapped furiously as he slid a little further away from her. "You never should have sent that text, Kim." Almost the second Soul tapped send, Kim's phone began to glow on the table, sending her nervous eyes towards it. "Looks like we're even."

She turned to the table, staring at the screen as one after another message illuminated it. "I hate you," Kim groaned.

"The feeling is fucking mutual right now," Soul growled back. He felt his phone vibrate in his fingers and he hard swallowed. After catapulting himself off the floor, Soul slunk into his room, slamming the door behind him, trying to shut out Kim's complaining and the laughs of the boys.

Halloween wasn't for hookups. It was the law and had been since they started the party back in high school back when it was at Kilik's house and was more of an intimate gathering than a party. Even now it never got to the point of raging, but it was still sizable, every long-lasting friend getting an invitation. Girlfriends and boyfriends were allowed, but it was never for the casual date or a one night stand.

_So, Maka was coming as a friend. No big deal._ The thought itself made him queasy and the prospect of looking at the screen on his phone intensified it. He counted to ten and flipped it over, opening the phone with a slide of his finger.

"_I have to dress up?"_

All the other feelings wiped away fairly quickly, leaving behind the joyful smirk on his face. "_I believe that's the purpose of Halloween."_

"_Can I bring Tsubaki?"_

"_If it means you'll come, sure."_ Apparently, fuck tradition, and he honestly meant it. The feeling was starting to settle in him that she had to come, Kim's torture and bet or no. "_You have like a month and a half to decide."_

"_It's OK, I'll come."_

With that, he collapsed on his bed with his phone pressed to his chest. He had a month and a half to figure this out. A month and a half, no big deal.


	4. Pay Up

The library was quiet and sparsely populated since the semester was still young. He saw her sitting patiently, not absently scroll through her phone but her eyes focused on the door as if waiting for him. That expectant look started to warm him, but he tried to resist it. Their texting had been sporadic since the first night, not an onslaught but a peppering here and there. They were just barely something you could call friends, so he shouldn't have some kind of glow every time he thought any of her actions was done specifically for him.

He balanced the two coffee cups as he opened the door, watching as she instantly shot to her feet and met him halfway. His smile felt a little tighter, but his voice betrayed him with a soft tone that he rarely ever used, "Hey, sorry I'm late."

"By just a minute," Maka shook her head dismissively.

"Still." Soul offered the coffee to her and she didn't try to avoid his fingers, letting theirs meet as the cup transferred hands. _Oh, no,_ his mind groaned but his heart was already beating faster, that concentration of nerves in his stomach fluttering. It wasn't any different from when she held his hand for that second before. It was still wonderful. He had to let his free hand fall to his side and pinch his leg to stop the runaway thoughts. "I think those rooms you were talking about are to the back."

"Back right," she added. She turned from him and started the walk and he was happy just to follow her. Soul made his eyes stay to her shoulders, watching her loose hair swish over the back of her sweater as she walked. He was too happy to notice she'd opted for something a little more form-fitting this time, accenting a waist that transitioned to a midthigh skirt. _Stop it,_ his mind corrected, sending his eyes back up and off to the side, focusing on their destination.

There was a line of four doors, each opening to a cubicle with just enough space for a table and four chairs. The natural light from the large window to the outside offered at least a reprieve from claustrophobia and also discouraged from any kind of private activity. She opened one of the doors, paused, but then seemed to find it acceptable. Without a word, she sat in the chair furthest from the door, already starting to stack her things in front of her.

Soul slowly closed the door and followed her lead, taking the seat right next to her. It was cramped and he felt that if he stretched out he could most likely touch both walls from this position. "I promise I took good care of your notebook." Which was not a lie. There were no dogeared pages, no stains, not even a speck of dust.

Maka held out her hand, a smile starting at the corners of her mouth. "That's to be seen."

"What, you're going to give it a white glove test?" Soul wasn't the only one who laughed at his joke as he pulled the notebook from his bag, placing it in her open hand.

She opened it on the table, not really inspecting it but coming to the first page of the last day's notes, her eyes seeming to stop over the number. That had been slick, something he never would have imagined from her, and he wondered if she had even guessed how much he'd panicked over it. He sure as hell wouldn't admit it: he still had some pride and dignity.

"Well?" Soul leaned in, his shoulder almost touching hers. This was entirely too close because he was hit with a whiff of some wild floral, maybe honeysuckle, as her head moved to look at him too quickly, flicking her hair. He wished she'd dip into him, letting their shoulders touch but she refused, her body motionless as her eyes studied him.

"It's fine," tumbled quickly from her lips. Maka's hand came up and brushed the hair back behind her ear, sending another wave of scent towards him.

Soul forced himself back into the seat, completely away from any possible contact. He was letting these feelings take a dangerous hold on him and he almost hated the way he was hungry for her attention. "Since I borrowed the notebook, why don't you quiz me today?"

That stiffness and nerves fell away from her but she had pressed herself into the wall, giving him a little more space in the tight room. Maka never seemed like a fish out of water with a book in her hand and by the time the first hour was over she'd recovered from the closeness. Soul, on the other hand, was still struggling, trying to keep his mind on the questions that she was firing his way without any restraint.

Her phone buzzed on the table and she started to reach for it half-heartedly, looking as if she would ignore it as soon as she actually got it in her hand. Instead, her eyes widened as her mouth tightened. "I have to take this."

"Oh, OK." She moved to get up but Soul shook his head, taking his headphones out of his pocket. He pressed them into his ears as he fiddled with his phone until the tunes washed out anything that resembled her voice in the background. The view from the corner of his eye was her hand gripped into the table and he couldn't force himself to look for more, knowing whatever the call was it wasn't any of his business. When he saw the hand retreat, he tested his luck with a little more of a glance, seeing the hand now obscuring her face by pressing into her brow.

This couldn't be good. He should really just close the books, pack up, and let her go and fix whatever this was without him being in the way. Instead, that strange new feeling was there and planted him in his seat, patiently waiting for her move. Her hand came back down, the phone with it, pressing it into the table. Soul counted to ten before tugging the buds out of his ears.

"Sorry." He wasn't sure that was a tone he'd ever heard from anyone before, a mix of anger, disappointment, and sadness in equal parts. Soul sat up from the notes and look at her head-on. Her face was flushed and he could see the moisture swimming at the end of her eyes. It didn't seem like she had the energy to hide the internal fight and she let out a pained sigh, her mouth opening and closing on words that wouldn't come.

Soul closed the notebook, standing and stretching. "Let's take a break."

She nodded, her hands coming to her face to rub away whatever was there, trying on a weak smile.

"Pack up, let's go." Soul started following his own orders, not even looking at her.

"We're leaving?"

"Fresh air, sunshine, and…" He paused, examining her face as if the answer was there. "You look like you're the ice cream type."

She was slowly starting to pack, still throwing glances at him. "Ice cream?"

"You like ice cream, right?" He opened the door and waited the second it took her to throw her bag over her shoulder before starting the trek back to the front door.

"Yes." It was soft, but he could hear less wavering in her voice.

The late afternoon sun was a blessing after the fluorescents of the library and even in the fall chill Soul found himself struggling to slip out of his jacket. He almost lost his bearings when she pulled at his backpack, holding it to make it easier for him. "Thanks."

"No problem, but it's not _that_ warm," she teased.

He tucked the jacket under his arm as he took the bag back from her, slinging it over one shoulder. "Unless I'm riding, it's t-shirts until snow." They had cleared the library, making their way to the edge of campus and the sidewalk leading into town.

"Riding?" Maka hurried her step, bringing herself almost shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Motorcycle." Soul nodded over towards the parking lot, knowing that his bike wasn't even visible from here. "I ride most days from the house unless the weather's not good." The sidewalk stretched out in front of them as they finally left the confines of campus, a small neighborhood giving way to a sprinkling of the stereotypical small-town shops. He'd been this way only once or twice, trying to avoid the scene right by the campus like a plague, but having her hop on the back of the bike, even if she would consider such a thing, didn't allow him what he wanted, to talk her out of whatever mood that phone call drenched her in.

"What happens when it snows?"

"The bus," Soul shrugged.

"You didn't want to live on campus?"

"Uh," Soul grimaced, "I'm here for classes and that's about it. I like to keep it that way." Maka's eyebrows wrinkled, her smile fading a little. He didn't like the absence of her smile and he knew the cryptic reply was to blame but- "The truth is, my brother teaches over at the music school so I…" he swallowed, watching her face for another change, the realization that he was _sharing_ tightening his throat. "I don't spend time with him." The silence was terrifying, even worse than the feeling as the words left his mouth, exposing that scar to her.

Maka let it be silent for at least ten thundering beats of his heart. "You don't like him?"

"Wes is great. That's the problem." Soul pulled at the sleeve of her sweater, directing her to turn into the storefront. He was hoping that the tinkling of the bell above the door was going to call the conversation, hoping that her attention would be taken by the frozen treats rather than this little corner of his life story.

"That seems like a strange problem." Her eyes were on the display window, flicking from flavor to flavor, but her mind seemed to be cemented on his words.

"I'm a strange guy, I guess," Soul offered with a sigh. He was losing his appetite quickly, the joy of a sugary treat blanched by his admission.

It was over in a second, but her hand came to his arm, her fingers cool against his skin. "No, you're not." And before he could even savor it her hand was back at her side. She finally allowed a pause in the conversation, leaning into the counter to order her ice cream. It seemed like her voice raised two octaves, a cheerful request regardless of the emotionality she'd been carrying since the library. Two scoops of cookie dough, an admirable choice, in a cup. She turned to him, "What do you want?"

_You_, would be the playful, normal response but it felt wrong to be that flirtatious with her. He wanted to draw it out, to make whatever this was last. "Same." He reached for his wallet as the girl behind the counter started to assemble his choice.

"No way," Maka shook her head. "No paying. It's _my _treat this time."

"I don't think I want you off the hook for the coffees."

"Then consider it payback for making you come to campus when you didn't actually want to." With his ice cream in hand, Maka paid the girl for both of them. "Or maybe just for being nice to me."

Everything in him hated the last part and he had to force himself from almost shouting at her. "I don't think I deserve anything for being nice. I like you." The last words tumbled from his mouth and his stomach flipped. He scrambled to add context, feeling like a middle schooler. "You're likable. Easy to be nice to." As if that took away from the juvenile level of the conversation.

"If you say so," she laughed, which should have made him feel better just on the face value that she was feeling good enough to laugh but he still hated it.

"Let's sit outside," he couldn't stop it from coming out as a grumble.

Regardless of his tone, she seemed to be coming back to normal, a hard to describe grin coming to her face. "Yeah." That grin turned into another laugh as he opened the door for her, loving how close she was when she squeezed past him. They moved only a few feet from the door to sit on a low wooden bench in front of the window.

He huffed, "I feel like you're laughing at me."

"No, I'm," she bought time by taking a bite of her ice cream, letting the spoon linger on her lip. "OK, maybe I am."

Was he blushing? That would be completely new, or at least something that hadn't happened since middle school, but he felt the heat rise up his neck to his cheeks as he watched her delicately tap that spoon to her lips. "This is the thanks I get after I take you out for ice cream."

"I believe, technically, I'm taking you out. I paid, after all."

Each sentence here felt perilous and he had to stuff a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, hoping that the coolness of it all would come to his face. It just felt worse, especially as the silence settled between them to the point he swore he could hear her breathing. He would give anything to know what she was thinking since the only show on her face was a soft smile between bites. It was simple to flirt, maybe even casually throw his arm over the back of the bench to just get them closer but it was the words that he wanted that stuck in his throat. It wasn't amorous, it was actually serious, those prying words that he wasn't used to. "Maka, are you OK?"

She studied her ice cream with intensity before taking a deep breath. "It's stupid. It's just my dad and it always happens every couple of weeks, but…" She plopped the spoon in the half-empty cup. "And now I'm bothering you with it, which makes it feel even more ridiculous."

"Listening doesn't bother me." He held his eyes on his own cup, not confident enough in his delivery to actually take in the look on her face.

"I guess… they're divorced, my parents. My mom will say something to my dad and he'll come running to me for some kind of validation." She scraped at the bottom of the cup before bringing another spoonful into her mouth. She waited for her mouth to clear before a sigh rushed past her lips. "I should stop letting him piss me off, but I'm a sucker for it every time."

"What's he do?"

"To piss me off? Where do I start?" Her laugh wasn't entirely bitter. "He cheated on her a million times, and I wish that was hyperbole, but it's a new girl every week."

"Yeesh," Soul hissed through his teeth.

"And then he has the nerve to constantly talk about how much he loves mom and me. Or that I need to be careful about guys. As if I don't already act like each guy I meet is bound to -" She cut herself off, those green eyes widening.

"Bound to cheat, too." He finished for her, adding another furious ache to his gut. Was it an urge to protect her? From what? Herself? Or did he just want her to realize what he was slowly coming to get to know - that she was too wonderful for any of that shit. Nothing about anything he felt around her was clear, especially to himself. Everything was new and he hated and loved it at the same time.

"I know that's not rational," she whispered back softly, her fingers tightening against the cardboard bowl. "Or fair."

"I get it." He tried to shrug it off because he knew that telling her that he wouldn't, he couldn't possibly, was not only crazy since this wasn't even a relationship beyond lab partners but also because it wouldn't make a difference. He'd have to show her, but that required that big leap.

Maka only bit at her lip in reply.

"You're not crazy if that's what you're thinking." It was obvious from the way her eyes darted to his, her tight mouth relaxing, that he'd hit the nail on the head. "But I'm probably out of my depth."

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

"You should stop saying that." He grabbed the empty container out of her hand, exchanging it with his that was still close to half full and a little melted. "And you should finish mine."

She took a bite of the switched ice cream and a part of him couldn't help but notice she didn't shy away from using his spoon. "Now I don't feel like I treated you to anything at all."

"I, uh, I think I have something I'd rather trade the coffee for." The cup started to bend in his hands, his grip a little too tight as his heart started to pound.

"What is it?" Her green glowing eyes blinked at him.

"Why don't you come see me play tomorrow night? I mean, if you're not busy."

She pursed her lips, "You mean at the bar?"

_Oh, shit, you idiot she's probably not even 21. _"Sorry, I didn't even ask if you were old enough…" He found himself putting a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it there.

"No, I can."

Soul couldn't even resist the huge grin that pulled across his face, even as he broke one of his own rules: no girls coming to work, no girls knowing where you work. "So you will, then?"

"Yes."

* * *

The bar, _Reapers_, was not exactly local, not in the same way the ice cream had been. Thankfully, it was an easy route by bus, probably part of Soul's design since he needed an alternative to his motorcycle. The only thing not easy was literally everything else. First, she'd blabbed to him like an _idiot_ about her father and her own damn insecurities like he was Dr. Phil. Yes, telling the guy you like that you're afraid any man will cheat on you is just the perfect ice breaker, exactly what will get you to the next pivotal moment.

Second, was this a date? Absolutely not, since he was technically working - he'd invited her so that she could watch him play and that was it. But what purpose did she serve? It seemed just like how he managed to invite her to a party at his house, over a month in advance. It seemed strange, but she assumed that maybe people with busier social calendars usually got a lot of offers for Halloween, so he was playing it safe and inviting early. It made a creeping hope blossom in her that it was important to him for her to be there. It was as if he were slowly giving her puzzle pieces, one at a time, making her wait for that final picture.

Maybe they were just friends. That was a tangled thought because, yes, she'd like to be friends, like to know him, but it was happening more often that she found herself touching his arm or focusing in on those eyes like red wine. It made matters worse that he let her with no resistance but maybe no encouragement either. He'd said he liked her, but they weren't twelve and her head couldn't rationalize anything beyond he found her just acceptable as a person, hence the like.

Even with the yes to his face, it took most of Friday to convince herself that she was, in fact, going. All of her classes felt like a blur that day, and her notes looked half-hearted and mostly empty. She only had class to distract her until 3 PM, leaving her to sit and fidget until at least 8 PM, which was when he started to play, and even then, aren't you supposed to show up in the middle? It didn't help that Tsubaki was noticeable free, coaxing her to watch TV in the common area of the suite.

Tsubaki was half reclined on the couch while Maka couldn't be comfortable, sitting stiffly in the oversized chair. "So…" Tsubaki hit the mute on the TV.

Maka blinked, trying to adopt some neutral face but was already sure she was failing at it. "What's up?"

"You've been weird lately." Tsubaki didn't look like she wanted to press past that, but her maternal worry broke through the anxiety of upsetting Maka.

"Yeah," Maka sighed as if letting go of air she'd held all day. Telling Tsubaki wouldn't hurt, and she'd even kind of gotten into invited into this with Halloween to begin with. "It's my lab partner, actually."

"Soul?" There was a minute suppression of a smile, that worry still easily covering it up.

Maka took a deep breath, letting the air sit in her lungs before sighing out, "I _like_ him."

"You've liked guys before," Tsubaki narrowed her eyes. "You even had guys stay over last year but you never got like this."

"I know," it came out as a groan. She wasn't some quivering flower, had dated and had her heart broken and broken one or two in return. "I can't tell what's different."

"Him, probably." Tsubaki shrugged.

"Sort of." Maka pulled her legs up onto the chair, hugging them to her chest.

"Sort of? Maka, the guys you pick are always perfectionists, high strung," Tsubaki had calmly started to list these traits out on her fingers, "Cold or too much of the opposite."

"So, just like me?" Maka offered weakly.

Tsubaki shook her head firmly. "Perfectionist, maybe, but the other stuff, not so much."

_There isn't anyone like him._ The thought brought a soft blush to her cheeks.

Tsubaki cleared her throat. "Are you two… dating?"

"I think we flirt and sometimes he seems nervous, but I think we're friends. Maybe. I don't know." Maka couldn't stop the rueful laugh that snuck past her lips. "And now I'm going out tonight to see him play piano, but he's working."

"But he asked you to?"

"As payback for getting me coffee," her smile couldn't be contained and it slid across her face as the warmth of that part settled in her.

"Oh, yup, not dating at all," Tsubaki laughed.

"He's at work," Maka repeated.

Tsubaki eyed her before shaking her head slowly, a smile on her face. "OK, whatever you say. Just, do me a favor and bring something to do while you're there."

Maka glanced at her bag, incredulous at the idea. "You mean like homework? To a bar?"

"You say that like you don't work on school stuff almost constantly," Tsubaki laughed.

Maka huffed in reply.

"Just trust me."


	5. The Hug

Waiting was agony. Soul knew he had said 8:00 PM, but that was just a start time for work, leaving a window open for her until midnight. It was almost 9:00 and at every break between songs he was struggling to keep himself from scanning the entire crowd. Even when his first break came at the 9:15 mark, she was missing. He made his way to the bar, leaning over to awkwardly pour his own water before Liz noticed. He wasn't entirely successful as the tall blond caught him halfway.

"What's wrong with you tonight?"

"What?" Soul grumbled before taking a long sip of water.

Liz was dipping glasses, leaning down to put them into the washer one at a time. "You keep looking around like the mob's after you. You expecting someone?"

"Maybe…" This was dangerous territory since Liz and the waitress, her younger sister Patty, were usually too nosey for their own goods.

"Maybe!" A grin cracked Liz's face as she turned her attention to Patty. "Patty, Soul is going to have a guest tonight!"

Patty slid from the end of the bar where she had been putting in orders to them. "A guest?"

"Ah, shit." Soul pushed his empty water glass into Liz's waiting hand, trying to avoid even looking at Patty before moving back to the piano, knowing that their curiosity couldn't follow him there.

Soul slid back onto the bench, starting back into his usual jazz rotation. Saturdays he opted for more golden oldies, popular renditions, but Friday nights were his favorite. He stretched his fingers one last time before easing into "On A Clear Day" with as much exuberance as his nervousness would allow him.

It was in the middle of that song that Maka entered, her eyes scanning the entirety of the place before finally settling on him. He was lucky he didn't see her entrance, didn't see that bashful smile, accented by a blush to her cheeks as she focused in on his playing. That face would have derailed the rest of his playing for possibly his entire life. Instead, he only noticed her just as he was finishing up as she sat right at the edge of his periphery.

Soul forced himself to send her just a little wave, making his attention stay on his job and the next song on his lineup. It was a total battle of patience and the clock felt like it was working against him, the slow tick only crawling towards the 10:45 mark. Every time he took the opportunity to let his eyes fall on her she was staring, leaning on her left hand as it obscured the smile on her face. He finished just before his mark, damning any consequences, and walked to her table, trying to keep a lazy smile on his face. "Hey."

Maka removed the hand from her mouth, displaying a glowing smile that made him forget any of his restraint. "You're really good, Soul."

"Ah, sure, thanks." He sat down next to her, pulling the chair a little closer, trying to decrease the noise interfering from the bar. "It's just a job."

"You did it better than _just a job_."

"Thanks." The praise was unnerving, the way her eyes wouldn't leave his. "Do you want a beer or something? I could-"

"Here's your beer!" Patty split them, placing two tall, amber glasses between the two of them.

Maka put a hand up to stop Patty but it was useless. "Oh, I didn't-"

"On the house," Patty sang, sending a wink Soul's direction before ambling off and immediately returning to her sister. Soul could see them whispering, plotting.

"That was… nice." Maka slid the glass towards herself, the line of perspiration shining on the table.

Soul took a decided gulp of his before even touching that statement, trying to keep himself from a frown. "One of the many reasons why I work here."

Maka laughed, sensing the bordering sarcasm. She was slow to take a sip, beer not exactly at the top of her list of beverages, but at least it would take off the edge.

Soul let his eyes move past her, seeing the books tucked at the corner of the table. "Did you bring your homework?" He couldn't stop the teasing laugh, even after her lips pursed together in annoyance.

"I did." She took another, longer drink from the glass. "You play really well but if I'm staying until after midnight I may need something else to do."

Even with the cool glass in his hands, he could feel his palms break out in a sweat as his heart skipped a beat. "Until I'm off?"

"Well, yeah." Maka cleared her throat, touching a tentative finger to the cover of her notebook.

"Thanks," he winced at the uncool answer. Soul took another long drink, practically draining the glass. When he put it back down her eyes were still focused away from him, her fingers flexed out on the table. _No big deal_, he took another breath and wiped his hand on his pant leg before letting it rest on top of hers. "I'm going to have to get back, but, really, thanks for coming, Maka."

Her emerald eyes darted from their connected hands to his own eyes, the shock dissolving into a muted happiness. "I'm happy you asked me."

"Me, too." Soul allowed himself one more look, one more squeeze of her hand before tearing himself away. This felt like another short-lived moment of suave behavior from him, a little bit of the old Soul shining through, but he could only predict that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. What was her plan for after? Better yet, what was _his_ plan for after? She'd let him touch her hand again, but how much more should he try to take?

"Oh, fuck," was a breathless mutter as he started to play again. Thankfully, Soul seemed to have the talent that as his mind became more tumultuous, his music only improved, leaving the bar in a half-hush as he pounded away at the keys. At the very least this thing with Maka tonight might actually get him a few more tips, having the room mesmerized by the intensity of the tunes. As he took a breath between songs he found himself caught in her eyes again, Maka seeming to pause from studying at the end of every song just in case he looked for her.

Soul wanted to reassure himself that she had to be into him, which should have been evident from her coming here at all. Instead, a feeling he was used to in other facets of his life but never romance was leeching in and he came face to face with self-doubt. Maybe they were just friends since this was something that friends might do, especially since all three of his roommates had been here once or twice. So, Maka was his new friend.

That was borderline the stupidest thought he'd ever had since a friend doesn't contemplate kissing his friend every time their eyes meet. That last wondering tightened a knot in his stomach that he knew would only get worse as the evening continued. His fingers felt as if they were in a frenzy as his mind finally came to the conclusion: he was going to try to kiss her tonight. Best case scenario, they'd be a couple by the time the party rolled around. _A couple_, Soul repeated the concept in his mind. She'd technically be his first girlfriend, the first girl he'd ever actually wanted to anchor to himself, to secure a place with. But he was way ahead of himself, at the white picket fence before he'd even planted a kiss.

As soon as he had set his goal, time seemed to fly, testing his courage as the clock struck midnight. Soul got up from the piano bench and stretched his back, trying not to immediately rush for Maka's table. Instead, he walked to the bar, waiting for Liz to settle up his tips. She had drinks to mix, so he had to stand for a few minutes, sending a glance back Maka's way. She wasn't looking for him, just bent over her textbook.

"She's cute," Liz elongated the _u_ in his ear, making him jump.

Soul pushed her shoulder, giving himself some space. "Can I just get my cash and go, please?"

Liz was slowly counting through the cash, holding it out of his reach. "Why, impatient to be alone with your little cutie? What's her name?"

"None of your business," Soul enunciated each word sharply.

"I hope you know you looked at her all night. A little desperate, if you ask me." Liz wiggled her eyebrows as Patty squeezed in next to her. "This isn't like you, Soul."

"Nope, he's completely head-over-heels!" Patty chimed.

"Money, please," Soul sighed, extending his hand towards Liz. She finally relented, giving him his tips and letting him turn back to the tables as he pocketed the cash. _I'm going to kiss her_, he agonizingly repeated in his head. His steps slowed down as he made his way to her table, watching as she was beginning to pack her back. "Maka…"

"Hey, again," she smiled, stuffing the last of her things in her bag. "This was really great, Soul. You were amazing."

"Amazing is a strong word." He took his seat back, leaning towards her.

"Well, maybe I'm not the best judge, but I enjoyed it." She shrugged before bringing her bag back to her lap. "I, um, I didn't know what you had planned afterward."

"To be honest, I usually pass out at this point," Soul smiled weakly.

She released a deep breath. "I'm usually the same."

"Then," he swallowed, trying to take in air. "Let me take you home. I rode my bike but if you're not into that I'll take the bus with you."

Her cheeks started to tint pink, "I've never been on one before."

"Just move with me and it'll be fine." _And it'll be close_, his mind chimed.

"You're sure?" It sounded like a question from her tone but her smile wasn't wondering.

"Yeah, of course. Just give me a second, OK? I keep any extra helmet here, so I have to grab it." Soul couldn't move fast enough, half-jogging to the back staff room. He was smart, always leaving extra gear here, mostly for when Black Star got too drunk and he had to bring him home. He grabbed the extra helmet plus a jacket since the almost October chill would be noticeable on the ride. As soon as he exited the back he waved her over, putting the helmets on a chair at the bar. "Here, you'll need this." He held open the jacket for her.

Maka studied the jacket for a moment. "It's yours?"

He laughed at her hesitation, flicking the jacket in his hand. "Yeah, don't worry, not just some random jacket from the back." She put her bag next to helmet and slipped her arms through as he held it. Soul couldn't help himself, rejoicing in another whiff of her scent as she pressed the air out of the jacket. "Let's go outside." He tentatively pulled on the sleeve of the jacket, bringing her with him as he grabbed the helmets and she threw her bag over her shoulder.

Soul released her sleeve, fishing into his pocket for his keys and jingling them as if it would relieve the nervousness. The lot was mostly empty, his bike pressed up against the far end under the street light. They walked silently, the only sound the clink of his keys and his zipper as he closed up his jacket.

They both paused at the side of the bike, Maka studying it. "How long have you had this?"

"Since before I could drive it," Soul laughed, making a sweeping gesture at its beauty. "Found it half rusted in someone's garage. Fixed it up until I was actually old enough for it." He draped his helmet on one of the handlebars as he tucked the guest helmet under his arm. Her hand ran over the leather of the seat and he took the opportunity to slide the bag off her shoulder. "It'll be safer in the saddlebag."

"OK." She watched him unzip and hide it safely inside.

"Now the helmet." He handed it to her, letting her slip it snuggly on her head. "I'll get this part." He fiddled with the adjustable strap, trying not to strangle her while still keeping it tight. Once he'd heard the click his eyes moved to hers, catching those green orbs staring at him, her lips separated slightly by a heavy breath. "Too tight?"

"I think it's fine."

_Do it!_ He gulped and took a step back. "Good. OK. Just keep the visor down unless you need to talk." He turned back to the bike, picking up his own helmet and fixing it over his head. "If you need anything, tap my right shoulder. Otherwise, hold on how you want to. If I lean, lean with me." Getting on the bike couldn't happen fast enough, especially since he'd blown a perfectly good chance for absolutely no reason. He'd be pissed if he wasn't focused on the idea that she'd soon be pressed up against him.

The bike started with a low, throaty thunder as Soul motioned for her to get on. He felt her rather than saw her, Maka sliding on right behind him with no resistance. It didn't seem as if she minded being that close, leaving no space and allowing her arms to circle his waist. All of his hesitations felt like a distant memory as the heat of her body seeped into his back. He had to force himself back into reality, "Everything OK?"

Her voice seemed so close to him even with the sound of the engine. "Fine!"

"Close your visor, tap if you need me, then." He heard the snap of her helmet closing and did the same to his. This ride home was going to be no big deal. Soul started off slow, trying to get used to the feel of her on his back, a definite difference from Black Star or any of his other random passengers. Maka felt synced with him, as if all of her was on the same time as him, heartbeat and breath. If he even dipped a little she moved with him just as ordered, keeping the ride smooth. He guessed some of her anxiety had disappeared because her grip loosened, her hands resting on the pockets of his jacket.

Soul had slowed down at a red light, feeling her hand move to tap his shoulder. He shifted his weight a little, flipping up his visor to see her waiting with hers up. "Could you…" she let the words trail off.

"What?" Soul didn't even bother to look at the light, the streets fairly empty at this time of night.

Maka shouted it out the second time, "Could you take the long way?"

"OK." Oh, but it really wasn't OK. He flipped his visor closed and was sure his heart was going to beat right up and out of his throat. She wanted to be like this longer. _Or she just wants to be on the bike longer,_ he reminded himself, also honing in on the fact she wasn't plastered to him anymore and seemed to be enjoying the sights instead. This didn't mean he wasn't going to do as asked, so he turned down a side street, cutting to the backroads rather than sailing straight through the city itself. If he went this way, it would loop through some backwoods and send them to the back of campus, near the fields and stadium rather than the dorms. Hopefully, that would give her the time she needed.

It didn't necessarily end up being enough time for him though, his gut still tight and turning as he idled the bike in front of her dorm. He turned it off and waited for her to dismount, then kicked out the stand and got off himself. Maka pulled the helmet off, her hair a little plastered to her forehead. The helmet head at the very least spurred a laugh from him, making her toss the helmet into his chest to give her hands to fix it. While she made herself presentable again, taking off the borrowed jacket and fixing her hair, Soul plopped the helmet on the seat and went about taking off his own, not exactly concerned about his hair.

"Soul…"

He turned to the sound of his voice just in time for her arms to wrap around his waist, her head coming just under his chin. It definitely wasn't a friendly hug, nothing quick or separate about it. She was locked into him for what felt like minutes, allowing him to let his cheek brush against her hair. Saying he was overwhelmed was an understatement, drunk on the amorous assault to his senses. He even had enough time to wrap his arms around her shoulders, his open hands memorizing the texture of her sweater.

"Thank you," she whispered against his jacket.

Soul could almost only gulp in reply but managed to squeak out, "Yeah, no problem."

"I'll see you Tuesday, for lab." Her arms detached from his middle and he let her slip out of his fingers.

_Kiss her!_ His brain ordered but his body couldn't, wouldn't obey, just so struck by her touch, by the look in her eyes as she pulled away from him. Finally, it was her smile that hit him, stunning him to the point where he felt his knees tremble. "Tuesday, sure." But he was sure he'd sulk and struggle until then as if seeing her sustained him.

"Bye." Maka threw in a soft wave as she turned, making her way up the steps and through the glass doors of the dorm.

"Fuck," but it was too late for cursing at this point. He had to admit it. This wasn't no big deal.

* * *

The first warning sign was the back sliding door left ajar, thankfully the screen closed so that bugs weren't getting in, but definitely not the usual. The second warning sign was that it was a two-finger pour of bourbon rather than a beer in front of Soul on the rickety table. The final, and probably the most disturbing, was that it was way past his bedtime.

"Soul?"

"Yup."

Kilik threw his work hat on the table next to the drink before sitting in the other mismatched chair. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure."

This was getting creepy. Even creepier was the deep sip Soul took from the glass, hardly even wincing as the fiery liquid sunk down his throat into his gut. Kilik cleared his throat. "So… tonight went well?"

"So well," Soul groaned before taking another gulp, not bothering to put the glass back on the table.

"So well that it requires way too much bourbon?" Kilik tried to snatch the glass but Soul pulled it away protectively. "Please tell me this is your first."

"Second," he croaked through another warming sip.

Kilik leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms before letting out a huffing breath. "Am I going to have to keep asking leading questions or will you just spill it?"

"She _hugged_ me." Mentioning it brought the sensation back to him and even the alcohol crawling through his system couldn't deaden it.

"Like… a friendly pat on the back hug? Like the kind of hug you give your great aunt?" Kilik offered, trying to gauge Soul's face. It was definitely a look he'd never seen on the boy before, like defeat and exhilaration all mixed into one.

His eyes focused on the single ice cube dreamily. "Like there wasn't an inch of space between us and I could hold her like that forever."

"Oh, boy," Kilik muttered.

"And I told myself all night, Kilik, that I was going to kiss her. I had plenty of solid opportunities, too!" Soul took another swig, this time clicking his tongue at the punch from the liquor.

"But you wimped out?"

"A hundred percent."

Kilik stood with a sigh, now sure he'd gotten himself into a late-night mess. "I need a beer." As he disappeared back into the house, Soul finally relinquished his hold on his glass, placing it carefully at the table. "OK." Kilik reappeared, tipping his beer back before slipping back into his seat. "You wimped out."

"Because if I ruin this, man, I think I might die."

"A little melodramatic," Kilik eye-rolled before taking another swig. "How is kissing her going to ruin it though? I thought she seemed into you."

Soul sunk lower in the chair, his eyes starting to drift up to the night sky. "There's no guarantee. Right now we're partners, and we depend on each other, but that could just be friend stuff. And if I made things weird, I'd lose it."

"What's _it_?"

"That's a great question." He let a slow hand come to his face, rubbing at his eyes before pushing back his hair. "I told her about Wes."

"You _what_?" Kilik almost dropped his beer.

"I just barely mentioned him, but yeah. His name. The fact that he works there. The fact that I love him but can't stand him."

"OK, that's not a barely. That's shit we all had to learn through the long and arduous process of being your friends through the entirety of high school!" Kilik tipped the beer bottle in his direction. "This isn't like you."

"No, it's not," Soul murmured.

"Real talk, Soul, you're the most guarded guy I know. It takes time and effort for anyone to dip below the surface." He took another long sip of his beer before leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "And while I hate to say this, Black Star is right when he says you're all about the hook-up, always have been, since you refuse to let any of those girls get under your skin. You purposefully pick girls who won't."

"Shit," he muttered before scooting himself back up in the seat, tentatively grasping at his glass.

Kilik was really settling into advice column mode. "I think what's happening is you're finally ready to want what the rest of us have already been looking for - love. Not saying you are in love, but you want it."

Without a word Soul picked up the bourbon, draining the rest of it down his throat.

Kilik watched him with a sigh. "That's your last one, right?"

"Yeah, OK." Soul let the glass slip out of his fingers and plunk back on the table.

"Because drinking isn't going to change it. Neither is forcing yourself with deadlines of _I have to kiss her now_." Kilik took another sip. "Maybe you just need to stop leading with your head. If you want to enjoy just the little stuff now, do it."

Soul frowned at him, "So I'm going to hug her and hold her hand?"

Kilik tipped his beer back, draining it, before reaching over to pat Soul on the shoulder. "Hell yeah, you are."


	6. Halloween

HUGE update! Please let me know if you'd like me to continue. I think I have some ideas, but this could be a perfect ending as well. Please let me know what you think.

* * *

Maka had expected Tsubaki would be asleep and, technically, she was partially correct. Tsubaki was asleep, but on the couch where she instantly awoke at the sound of Maka in the suite. She rubbed her eyes, taking a single look at the flustered heat in Maka's face before blurting, "What happened?"

She was on the verge since she pushed through the glass doors on the ground floor. Five floors up in the elevator and the tears had threatened the whole way. "I _hugged_ him," came the anguished cry, finally allowing for a few tears to spill.

Tsubaki blinked, still analyzing the words to make sure she had heard Maka correctly. "Like a friendly pat on the back type of hug?"

"Well, no." Maka made her way to the couch, sitting at Tsubaki's feet. Her fingers dug into her thighs, the embarrassment rising in her throat like nausea. "It was tight." So tight she could feel the details of his body, that clean laundry scent married with a shot of some kind of earthy cologne that he had only just barely applied completely taking over her senses.

"So a more than friends hug?" Tsubaki offered weakly.

Maka groaned, "I don't think there's such a thing!"

"I mean, did he seem disappointed? Upset?"

"No…" That wasn't a lie. He had been flustered, blushing harder than she had been if that was possible.

Tsubaki's smile and fervor for the conversation was coming back, always seeing the positives in everything. "When did this happen?"

"When he dropped me off back here." Maka sighed, reliving the embarrassment.

She playfully grasped at Maka's hand. "Wait, he drove you back to the dorm?"

"I rode on the back of his motorcycle." OK, so that was a little exciting, and she couldn't keep it from leaching into her voice.

"Maka!" Tsubaki gave her hand a pump. "So you hugged him all the way home and then again when he dropped you off?"

The heat crept up her neck to her cheeks. "Yes."

"Well, it's not that daring, but…" Tsubaki's smile widened. "I don't think you're in bad shape."

"Thanks," Maka only let out a portion of her sigh, feeling at least a little better. Tsubaki was nice, but probably not nice enough to let her off the hook for something ridiculous enough to ruin a relationship. _Oh, no, not that word._ Maka tried to stop herself before it started. "I'm going to try to sleep."

"Try," Tsubaki winked with enthusiasm, sending Maka into another blush.

"Goodnight," she tried to sound exasperated but she was barely able to contain the happiness that was growing. Maka patted Tsubaki's hand one more time before getting up, moving to the bathroom and prepping for bed. She spent much of her nighttime routine stopping to look at herself and wonder. She'd always thought of herself as middle of the road, a little too on the thin and muscular side to really bring any attention her way. Her body had definitely grown into a woman's as far as her hips were concerned, but her breasts still seemed to lag a little behind, staying a steady B cup.

But her body wasn't some secret, it'd been seen before, it'd been found acceptable, so why worry about it now? Why even think about it after all she can manage to produce is a hug? Once again lingering into embarrassment, Maka made her way to her bed, set her cell phone on the bedside table, and forced her eyes shut. This lasted for an hour or so, tossing, turning, thinking she heard the buzz of her phone but finding it empty of notifications.

During the third phone check, Maka gave in, pressing on his name in the SMS messages. "_Are you up?"_

The minutes ticked in the corner of the phone and she contemplated leaving the screen, scrolling through something when the bubbled finally popped up. "_Yeah. What's up?"_

She held her breath. "_Can I listen again sometime?"_

"_Then I'll owe you."_ came back almost instantly.

A smile was tugging at the corner of her mouth and she tried to breathe normally, her heart thudding. "_I'm OK with that if you are."_

"_OK, but you promised to go easy on me, remember?"_

* * *

Maka was able to see him every Tuesday for the three-hour lab, and that would really have to suffice. Or that was the excuse that she used not to go every week to listen to his piano playing. That would obviously be too weird when you consider the best she could do was a hug, a _hug_. So maybe she went every other Saturday, switching to a Friday on occasion. Each time he would drive her home and she had learned to bundle to keep from freezing during the October nights. Each time she would embrace him, maybe letting it last a few seconds longer than the last, and each time he came away flustered, overwhelmed.

But this Friday would have to be different because Halloween had somehow snuck up on her. Dressing up was never her forte and the norm seemed to lean towards sexy "insert character here" and that was a little out of her comfort zone. But when she dug out the only costume she really had available, she found that it had morphed a little bit into the sexy range after her last growth spurt. When she wore it in high school, she looked perfectly like the adolescent Alice in Wonderland, but now the bust was too tight and the skirt too short but she didn't have the time for an alternative. Slightly sexy Alice would have to do.

Tsubaki thankfully took the spotlight off of her, opting for Chun-li that she made sexy simply by being herself, all curves in all the right places. Maybe taking the spotlight didn't make her feel better, especially as she had started to think of this as an opportunity to cement herself even further, meeting his friends and finally becoming acquainted with his house and his life. Again, as far as she was concerned, she wasn't much to look at and she assumed the other girls there would be…

_Stop it_, she reminded herself again. _Not everyone is your dad._ But that was still a tall order for her mind to fill, especially since nothing between them was permanent, nothing decided.

Tsubaki had forced her to stay at home until nine-thirty and then called a car, another perk of Tsubaki's lifestyle, to take them over. It was Soul who answered the door, that smile of his emphasizing his teeth which now actually fit his outfit, a classic Bram Stoker's Dracula with the cape and all.

"Hey," he tried to keep that signature soft croon but the excitement was breaking through.

Maka let her hand slip down his arm, resisting the urge to pull him into a hug at the doorway. "Hey." As if she could be _more_ embarrassing.

He watched her hand move before clearing his throat, flourishing towards the inside of the house. "Come in." They walked the two steps into the living room proper and Soul shoved her forward a little further. "This is Maka and Tsubaki." Soul pointed them out and then moved to the crowd, listing out names as his fingers fell on them. He pointed out his roommates first, Kilik, Kim, and Black Star, before moving onto people from random spots in their lives. "Want something to drink?" He leaned into her and she found her hand balancing on his arm again, keeping him just far enough from her.

"Maybe just a beer…"

Always a good host, Soul moved his attention from her to her friend. "Tsubaki?"

"Same."

"Be right back." His hand slid delicately across the small of her back as he squeezed past her, sending an electric thrill up her spine. Soul didn't take long before he returned, handing off the two drinks. It wasn't hard to notice that he wasn't drinking and from what she could see he hadn't even before they got there.

Maka planted herself on the couch next to Kim, who seemed to be sporting a raccoon costume, watching as Soul watched her move to the seat but continued milling around the party, him and Kilik focused on the sound system.

"So you're Maka," Kim leaned in, trying not to be too obvious with her up and down examination.

"I am," it regrettably turned into a stutter.

Kim finished her observations with a small smile, turning her eyes back to Soul and Kilik. "It's cool you could come."

Maka watched her for another moment, seeing her eyes flow again from Soul to her. "Thank you."

"So, you like this sort of thing? Halloween parties?" She fixed her ear headband for the third time, sighing as it seemed to wiggle right back into place.

"Not usually. But Soul asked me, so…" Maka licked her lips, the nerves of what she said catching up with her. "And from what he said you were all really nice."

"Nice, are we?" Kim smirked. "I'm happy Soul thinks so."

Kilik had finally set up the sound system, allowing for Soul to sit down and start picking out the jams. He was leaning over his laptop, clicking and scrolling through as the music started to overpower the conversation. Maka found herself pushed back with the couch as people made room for an impromptu dance floor, the bodies obscuring her view of Soul at the laptop. Her beer was starting to warm in her hands so she drank through at least half, wondering if it would take the nervousness away.

There now seemed to be entirely too much movement in front of her, but in a way it was mesmerizing, the colorful costumes, the smiling faces. She sunk into the couch, draining the rest of her beer as Kim moved into the crowd, leaving her alone on the couch. Tsubaki was somewhere in there and she caught glimpses of the blue of her outfit. Should she dance? Should she wait for him, wherever he was? The panic started to mount in her that maybe she shouldn't be here.

As if requested, Soul slid onto the couch next to her, another beer in his hand that he switched with her empty one. "Sorry."

"No, you're the host, you'll probably be running around all night." Maka stared at the new bottle in her hands and took a tentative sip.

"Not anymore." Her whole body tingled as his arm slid across her shoulders, cupping her shoulder and pressing her closer.

Her eyes slowly moved from the beer to him, finding his smile still unsettled, his eyes searching hers. Her smile blossomed in return as she realized it was as if he was asking permission. "Don't worry, I only need a little attention."

"You're probably going to get more than that." Soul relaxed back against the couch but didn't relieve his grip, still holding her against him. "So, Alice?"

"And Dracula?" She let her fingers play with his cravat, that smile no longer settling on his face but stretching across it. "Next year we should coordinate a little more."

"Next year." He couldn't contain that grin anymore and he had to use a free hand to rub at his face as if he were trying to wake himself from a dream. "So, uh, Tsubaki came, too?"

"Yeah, I think she's dancing." Maka tried to take another look at the floor but could only afford to leave his eyes for a moment, feeling drawn back to him almost instantly.

"I think Black Star has a little bit of a thing for her," Soul laughed.

"Oh, boy," Maka put a hand over her mouth to contain the obnoxious laugh that was breaking through. "I'm not sure Tsubaki has the patience."

"I'll be surprised if anyone does." Soul watched nervously as she detached one of her hands from the beer bottle, first letting it rest on her leg before sliding it over to his knee. "Did you get to meet anyone?"

"Just Kim, for a second." Maka was sure he hadn't had anything to drink, not a bit of him smelling like alcohol, but his eyes still seemed glazed over as they watched her.

Soul leaned a little closer, whispering in her ear as if to avoid being overpowered by the music. "You only have Kilik left and you'll know everybody."

Again, that tingle ran up her spine and she found her fingers flexing into his leg. "Once I meet them all, am I allowed to come over?" She was afraid to move her head, knowing his face was right there, too close.

His breath was hot as he exhaled a laugh across her neck. "Yeah, total house approval is necessary before you can be a guest."

"I guess I have to, then." She felt him lean back, giving her enough space to see his signature wide grin.

"I don't think we'd get much studying done here, though." Soul nodded towards the dance floor which had parted to accommodate Black Star and his insane gyration.

"Probably not." Maka laughed without restraint, her eyes shining as she brought them back to Soul. "Maybe we don't need to just study though."

And that was them, frozen, for what seemed like hours, his arm around her and her fingers flexing against his leg, watching as the bodies changed on the dance floor. It was a comfortable existence and she almost forgot the stress of her first few minutes there. Kim came by again, leaning into Maka with a strange drunken affection that seemed to annoy Soul to no end. He ended up shooing her off, calling over a bespectacled young man with strange hair, Ox, to drag her off which seemed to both please and irritate her all at once. Kilik eventually abandoned the sound set up to stand by long enough to introduce himself before sending a look at Soul and excusing himself.

It seemed like they all knew something she didn't know, and Maka found herself looking to Soul each time they talked, gauging his reaction. It was wonderful how relaxed he seemed here, and the fact that he had not once looked at her the whole evening with that worry, that insecurity. Instead, his arm radiated a surety around her she happily fed on. Right as her legs started to ache from the inactivity he leaned towards her ear again, his voice gruff, "Did you want to dance?"

"I can't promise I'm any good at it."

A laugh slipped past her ear as he pulled back his arm, using it to catapult him out of his seat on the couch. He put out a hand to her, pulling her to her feet while his other free hand found its way to her hip, starting to guide her forward. But a voice froze Soul in his tracks, that soft hand on her body falling instantly away. "Hey, little brother."

Soul turned on his heels, his body blocking Maka. She peeked over his shoulder, seeing another man that at first glance would best be described as Soul in ten years. Looking closer she noticed the browner tone in this man's eyes, the sharper jawline but duller teeth. "Hey, Wes," Soul breathed out, his eyes never leaving the man's face.

"You didn't pick up your phone but I remembered you guy usually partied tonight. You got a minute?" It wasn't aggressive, not mean, just searching, a calm need for his brother's attention.

Soul didn't necessarily seem to bristle at his request either, just transforming into someone completely blank of any feature. Looking at him now you could swear that he was someone who had probably never smiled in his life, a bored, apathetic look replacing that beautiful ear to ear grin. "Sure. Let's go outside." He didn't even afford her a glance before turning and walking towards the back of the house and through a sliding door. She moved to watch people funnel back into the party from the outside, allowing Soul and Wes privacy.

She angled herself again the wall, watching the two men staring at each other for a moment before Wes opened his mouth. Their voices couldn't filter in over the music but even without subtitles, she could see how the conversation evolved. Wes tried to keep the calm and amiable look he'd entered with, but as Soul became more withdrawn she could see it change, evolving to worry and then almost into pleading. It seemed as if Soul barely registered any of it, but she watched with growing sadness as his fist clenched at his side.

Wes paused and Soul's face turned, finally letting out an explosion of a sentence, his face going almost as red as his eyes. The two of them both seemed surprised at the outburst and Wes reached for him, Soul dodging it smoothly, waving his hands at the older man before sinking his hands into his hair, pushing it back from his face to say something that seemed to push Wes's patience. Before Wes could try for him again, Soul was pushing open the door leaving it open as he rushed for the other part of the house, disappearing in a hallway.

Wes popped through the door, his head looking left and right before he paused to mimic his brother, pulling the white hair back from his forehead with a sigh. Maka couldn't say a word but watched as he looked again towards the hallway but made his way towards the front door, his hands shoved into his pockets in defeat.

* * *

Soul didn't bother to turn around as the door clicked open behind him, his hands clenched tightly into the sides of his desk. "Look, Wes, I told you just to leave!" His voice was shrill, obnoxious and he instantly hated it, ready to turn on his heels and apologize like the gutless idiot he was.

"It's just me."

His heart dropped into his stomach. The door clicked shut, the sound from the party trapped away for the time being. "I'm sorry," he offered weakly, slowing turning and unclenching his hands, seeing Maka pressed against the door, her smile still there but plastered over with worry.

"No, it's OK." She took one more step, which in his room got her fairly far in the cramped space. "I just… wanted to check on you."

"Fuck," Soul muttered, his hands running through his hair again. "It's not OK. I shouldn't yell at you. Hell, I shouldn't yell at Wes either." Another string of curses under his breath and he ripped off his cape, throwing over the back of the chair. "Did he leave?"

"He was walking out as I came in here." Maka took another step, but diverted towards his bed, taking a seat on the edge. She waited for him to stop his frantic fight with his costume, for his hands to steady and his eyes to come to hers. "Look, I can't take you out of ice cream, but I can listen."

"I don't think you want to listen to how much of an idiot I am." Soul wanted to sit next to her but found himself pacing in front of her instead, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his pants.

"It doesn't look like you being an idiot," Maka shrugged. "It looks like you being hurt."

"And why the hell should I be?" Soul spat at her, instantly stuffing his hands back in his hair with a groan. "I'm sorry."

Maka reached out and grabbed his sleeve on the next pass by, pulling his attention back to her. "How about one free pass to yell for the next hour? I won't take it personally."

He let a hissing breath out between his teeth. "Wes has everything!" The last word came out like a wounded cry. "And it comes to him easily, and he deserves it." His voice cracked and he felt her hand slip from his sleeve to his fingers, gripping tightly. He was able to concentrate on her warmth, allowing the next sentence to be only a fraction as painful as he expected. "I honestly don't know why my parents bothered having another kid. Wes does everything they want and more while I…"

Maka jumped into the space, not allowing him to let the words stagnate. "What do they want from you?"

"I'm not at some prestigious music college, for one. I treat the piano as a hobby rather than a lifestyle. I refuse to stay at home." Soul scoffed, stuffing the last thing on the list deep down, _I won't date the girls they parade in front of me with money and pedigree_. She had said she wasn't going to take anything personally but he was afraid that might toe the line.

"And Wes does all that?"

"You mean the world-famous violinist that graduated top of his class at Juilliard?" Soul felt the venom in his words and his stomach rolled with shame. "I think he pissed them off with taking the visiting professorship here, but that's only for three more years."

Maka pulled on his hand, probably tiring of holding it at such an angle. Soul finally relented, sitting next to her on the bed, his thigh pressed to hers. "So, he chose to work here only while you were here?"

"I guess." But she was right. He'd only taken a professorship after Soul decided this was far enough away from the family. And it wasn't like he was spying because he distinctly remembered the anger his father had let rip on Wes when he said he had taken the position. But, of course, the easiest narrative for his angry mind had been that Wes was here to control. Heaven forbid he think what was probably closer to the truth: Wes was trying to get away, too, and hoping he could be with his brother.

In the silence, Maka ran her thumb over his knuckles, her eyes focused on the movement. She gave him time to run through his thoughts, only speaking again when she heard him take in a deep breath. "You didn't invite him tonight, then?"

"He's been calling me all week." Shame cracked his voice again and he pressed a fist into his thigh, hoping the knuckles would hurt just enough. "This is our usual rotation, though. I ignore him until he has to show up here or at work. Tonight was just a night he definitely knew where I'd be."

He was watching her, her mouth opening and closing before deciding on the words, "If you didn't want to see him, wouldn't it just be easier to take the calls?"

Swallowing that sentence was like chewing sand. It wasn't fair the way she could be so logical in the face of it, exposing all his hypocritical actions. "Because I do want to see him. He's my brother, and he's never done anything in his whole life to purposefully hurt me. I know that. It's just like as soon as I'm with him I become some toddler that can't keep my shit together." His fist uncurled and came to his face, covering his mouth to keep any more shameful words from coming out.

"Maybe less a toddler, and more a teen?" Maka laughed weakly. "You know what's wrong, so that's important."

"But I keep making the same mistake," he shot back, another wave of shame at his tone.

She took his verbal hit without batting an eye, letting her glowing eyes connect with his. "Have you ever even talked about this before?"

"Never in my fucking life," Soul sighed. He had thought she was dangerous before, but now that she was loaded with all this information he had a sudden sinking feeling about the power he'd given her.

"Maybe now that you've said it once, you could say it again." She shrugged, squeezing his hand in the process. "Or just at least you know it for sure. It's like the stuff with my dad. I'd never said anything like that before, but after I said it to you I could, I don't know, handle his calls better. I could think a little more before I reacted to him."

"You think I could actually talk to Wes?" He sounded incredulous, but a part of him was sure that if she said it was possible, all those feelings would wipe away.

"I don't mean just bare your soul the next time you see him." She let her breath come out as a soft laugh. "Just a phone call. Maybe a quick apology?"

"Apologize," Soul groaned, those childish feelings rising up in him again.

"Or not." She laughed and bumped shoulders with him, eliciting something close to a laugh from him, too. "Maybe just a follow-up. It had to be something important that he came here to talk about, right?"

Soul felt the anguish hit the back of his throat again and he swallowed it down. "He's getting married."

Maka blinked, registering the information. "OK, so really important."

"And you're looking at the best man, unless I've fucked that up, too," Soul let out a hiss of a sigh. "Why he even asked is beyond me."

"He's your brother," Maka shoulder pressed against his again, "Maybe it doesn't feel like it, but it seems like he loves you."

"I hope so." The words barely felt like his, the shock of the admission written all over his face. It had always been there, his want to be a real brother to Wes, but those feelings were always in the way.

"Then try, Soul. It's going to be hard, but I think you can do it." She bit her lip, her eyes trailing away from his. "And if you need to talk about it, I'm here."

"Thanks." His eyes moved from their locked hands to their shoulders to her face. All of the talking had clouded how close they were, how they were sitting alone on his bed. He felt his mouth go dry and he couldn't swallow, just staring at her dumbly.

A soft blush started to spread across her cheeks but she wouldn't let go of his eyes. "Should we… go back to the party?"

He had just spoken so clearly about his brother, but suddenly when it came to her the words jumbled in his mind and mouth. "Can I drive you home tonight?"

"Now?" She blinked, amusement playing at her lips.

"I mean, whenever you want." Now the sweat was breaking out on his neck and he worried that their connected hands getting clammy.

"It's your party," Maka couldn't stop a laugh, even at the expense of the pained look on his face.

"Our party," he corrected. "And I already stormed off - my roommates will expect me to stay here for the rest of the night."

Her eyes darted past him to the clock at his bedside and he followed, seeing the red glow read midnight. By party standards, it was early, but by Maka's, it seemed just right. "I guess now is good," she murmured. "Just let me tell Tsubaki."

"I'll meet you outside." He should have moved first but he planted, unable to be the first to let go of their hands, to create distance between their bodies.

The ache started as soon as she stood, every last bit of her drifting away from him. Soul just watched as she moved towards the door, turning the knob and letting the sound of the party filter back in. She paused, turning back to him with a smile that didn't say enough of what she was thinking. "Can we take the long way?"

"Yeah." His voice was a hoarse croak, choking on his heart that had leaped into his throat. _Who is this girl?_ She slipped out the door and closed it, leaving him drifting on the thought of that smile. It took him at least a minute to recover before he stood and walked back to the desk, picking up his phone, his keys, his wallet. He was almost at the door when he turned back, opening and closing drawers before he found what he needed.

It was a risk to walk right back through the party, but climbing out the window seemed a tad too extreme. Soul threw up his blinders, tucking his head down as he made his way directly for the door. Maybe he heard his name, but it wasn't enough to stop this man on a mission, not even slowing until he exited out the front door, seeing her standing in the soft glow of the streetlight that climbed up the driveway. For a second he was sure he must be drunk even without touching the stuff, the light making a halo around the golden sheen of her hair. He was just too far gone, too emboldened by allowing her in.

"What's that?" She pointed to the ball of cloth in his hand.

"Oh, uh," Soul held them out to her sheepishly, suddenly embarrassed that he thought of it at all. "It's a pair of shorts. I thought, with your dress…"

"Oh." Her cheeks turned scarlet as she took the shorts from his hand. He didn't even have time to turn away and she bent to slip a leg in, then the next, exposing hints of skin as she pulled them all the way up. The finished product was ridiculous, a pair of navy blue basketball shorts peeking, hanging low under the hem of her dress, but his mind couldn't stop reliving that flash of skin.

Soul could have bit his tongue but he smirked instead, "Cute look."

She wasn't flustered, didn't falter, just twirled her hips slightly. "Definitely finished the outfit."

"Come on." As he walked towards her he let his arm come out, sweeping to the small of her back and leading her towards his corner of the driveway. He'd left all his gear there, along with a spare set, having planned from the very beginning to drive her home. Of course, his original thought was, as always, by then he'd have kissed her, by then they'd be together, but he was now at that point where there wasn't ever going to be a plan. He hated to admit it, but Kilik was usually always right.

He waited for her to remark on the gear, but she simply began to scrunch on the helmet, lifting her chin expectantly towards him. Soul fixed the strap just tight enough to her throat before letting the back of his fingers drift down her neck, gently grazing her skin. It could have been accidental, but it still elicited a blush from her cheeks. "Maybe one day you'll do this yourself," he teased.

"I think you'll always do a better job than me." She let her own fingers retrace where his had been before taking a step back and a deep breath with it.

Soul slid into his jacket and then fixed his own helmet. He had never wanted so badly to be riding in his life, rushing through the snaps and zippers. As he got on the bike she didn't hesitate, just slipped behind him, her hands already resting in the pockets of his jacket. He couldn't stop his stomach muscles from contracting at the touch, even through his clothing, and he half grunted. He droned the sound out with the engine, clicking down the visor of his helmet before checking on her one last time.

The long way could be whatever he wanted it to be. Minutes to hours, depending. Part of him wanted to slowly pull apart that time, let her meld into his back for as long as she wanted. It was her time, she'd asked for it, but even as soon as they began on the road, he already missed being face to face with her, the reassurance shining in those green eyes. He was far gone, for sure. He puttered through the neighborhood, houses mostly still alight between trick or treaters or parties. It was a college neighborhood, after all. She wasn't her usual self, not preoccupied with the sights, her helmet practically resting on the back of his as her body pressed into his back.

Even as they reached the dorm, Soul actually parking in a spot this time, she didn't seem intent on letting go, her hands only slowing removing themselves from the pocket, trailing along his side to the small of his back. He had to turn off the bike completely before she got off, reminding him of her fashion choice for the evening which created laughter in the confines of his helmet. Hers was a slow undress and as soon as she took off her helmet she was quickly trying to unbite her lip, freshen up her smile along with her hair.

Soul, on the other hand, was swift, throwing each piece back on the bike, still watching her mind working across her face. "Maka, before you go…"

"Yeah?"

"Could we talk a little more?" He tried not to put any hard emphasis, no tone to indicate innuendo or playfulness. It was probably the first time in his life he sounded so frank.

"Oh." Maka's eyes wandered from him to the building. "Then, I guess, come up? Unless you want to talk here."

"Inside, OK." Maybe he didn't feel so chicken now, but his voice sure sounded like it, the octave a little off and a trembling on the first syllable before he could correct himself.

"OK." Maka didn't wait for him, just started the hurried walk across the lot to the building itself. Soul tried to trail, not exactly on her heels but maybe not close enough that his hand might wander. Inside the building it was a process: security, his ID had to be shown, hell, they almost asked his intent. He wanted to be snappy, _What do you think a guy going to a girls dorm at midnight is going to do_, but the insinuation would be a lie anyway.

The elevator was agony, as the glass on the walls gave him a 360 picture of her nervousness, highlighting the way she'd gone from malleable on the back of his bike to rigid in her own mind. The ding seemed to awaken her with a jolt as they hit her floor and she continued forward, barely a glance at him. Her eyes stayed forward until the door, lowering them to take out her keys and fiddle with the lock. When the door finally opened she let him in first, her hand softly guiding him at the elbow. Wordlessly, she continued to push him in, closing the door behind them, and walking him to the common area. "Is this OK?"

"Yeah, fine." He couldn't even think of sitting and she made no move to, both standing at the foot of the sofa. "Don't take this the wrong way, Maka," his voice was low, almost a whisper, "I'm glad I can talk to you. I'm glad we're friends."

She seemed struck as the word _friend_ came from his mouth, "How could I take that the wrong way?" The color was coming to her face, her hands gripping the fabric of her dress.

Kilik had been right: pushing himself one way or the other had been fruitless. He hadn't planned to expose his wounds to her but in doing so he found himself relaxed, ready to say this to her. "By thinking all I want to do is be friends." Her silence was both exhilarating and anxiety-producing, forcing him to sit on the fence as to whether she was there with him or he had pushed her too far in a direction she wasn't interested in.

"Oh," it was like a squeak from her lips and her hand shot up as if to trap the sound against her lips. Behind the hand came a short laugh that made his heart thunder, the fear and nerves starting to make it feel out of beat. He was just about to try to add something, try to salvage whatever he had or hadn't said when she moved towards him, her arms circling his neck as she pulled him down, crushing her lips to his.

Soul had expected her to be delicate, slow, but as with everything, she surprised him. Maka pressed and needed, her lips fierce against his as she refused to leave space between the two of them. His hands planted at her waist and caressed towards her back, aiding in pushing her closer. Just like touching her hand or hugging her, this kiss was a whole new sensation, creating an ache in his chest at the mere thought that it would eventually have to end, the would have to breathe.

Maka slipped her hands to his chest, crumpling them in his shirt as she separated their lips, Soul barely letting her free. "You took long enough." Her voice broke causing him to open his eyes again to see her struggling on the border of a laugh and tears. "I thought…"

"If you thought I wasn't crazy about you, you were wrong, I'm sorry." Soul pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm just not so good at this."

"At what?" Her fingers glided through his hair. "Because that kiss was perfect."

He swallowed down a groan, the feeling instantly setting his body on fire. _Oh, man, didn't it used to take a lot more than that?_ "At asking you to be my girlfriend. It sounds so stupid and I've just never done that so I don't even know how to start."

"Soul, don't joke with me, not right now." Maka took another shaky breath, her fingers flexing against his scalp in a way that made him unable to stop from leaning in again, feathering his lips lightly against hers.

"I'm not," his voice was deep, hoarse as if the kiss had stolen all his breath. "No one's ever seemed worth it until you."

"No one?" Incredulity was still in her voice.

"No one." It was hard to convince himself to remove a hand from her body but he lifted his right and gave himself enough room to hold out a pinky to her, interrupting their closeness. "Pinky swear."

Maka exhaled a laugh as she let her pinky meet his. "Just me, then."

"For as long as you can stand me." He tugged at her pinky before detaching and sliding that hand up her arm, feeling the goosebumps rise on her skin. "Does that mean it's what you want, too?"

"As long as we're friends, too. I want both."

Soul couldn't stop the relieving laugh from bubbling from his throat. It hadn't taken any plans, it had just been her all along moving this forward, bringing him to the point where he could have all he wanted. "And I thought you were going to ask for something hard."


	7. Caught in a Flame

I know I thought I said I was going to be done, but apparently not. This is totally going somewhere. Enjoy.

* * *

The way that Soul wished he could have woken up that morning was face to face with Maka. For someone it took months to even get up the nerve to kiss, that was a pipe-dream for sure and he had left her dorm after a few more deep kisses and whispered sweetnesses. Instead, he awoke to the crash of his door as it practically flew off the hinges, Black Star and Kim instantly surveying the room as if looking for treasure.

"She isn't here," Soul groaned, throwing the sheet over his face.

"Told you!" Kim almost squealed in delight. "Pay up!"

"No, he went to _her _place last night. Still a hookup!" Black Star shot back.

Kim ripped the sheet from Soul. "You left the party?"

It was a battle he was never going to win so Soul relinquished his sheet and his rest, slowing sitting up in bed. "I dropped her off at her dorm. That was all." He enunciated each of the words in the last sentence before sliding his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Money, please!" Kim turned her attention back to Black Star who was finally caving and reaching in his pocket for his wallet.

"You get another _hug_?" Black Star's only validation after losing cash came through teasing Soul, obviously.

"I don't kiss and tell," Soul grumbled, running his fingers through his hair and over his face to wipe the sleep away.

"No way, Soul!" Kim, newly invigorated by cash in hand, jumped on his bed to shake him by the shoulders. "You were way too smooth last night. Not even a kiss? Did the Wes thing ruin it?"

Black Star followed suit, climbing on the bed to lean over his other shoulder. "The Wes thing definitely ruined it. Did you see the veins pop out on his neck when he came back inside? As if his mug wasn't ugly enough already!"

Soul sent a hand smashing into Black Star's face, crushing him down into the bed. "The Wes thing didn't ruin anything."

"Meaning you _did_ get a kiss?" Kim was tempted to lean in but considering what Black Star got for his transgressions, she held back but still gave his shoulder another little shake.

"Did you get a kiss from Ox?" Soul threw back, eyeing her as he leaned into his planted hand on Black Star's face, threatening to smother him.

"If I tell, you tell," Kim crossed her arms, her lip quivered a little.

Soul moved his hands to clasp Black Star's ears. He knew it wouldn't necessarily keep the information from him, but at this point in the morning, Soul was not exactly interested in what he could guess was going to be an exuberant reaction. "Yes."

"Yes," Kim echoed pertly.

"Good for you," Soul laughed, finally freeing his hands from Black Star who took a gulp of air.

Kim put a hand over the blush on her cheek. "Same. But not a hook-up, right?"

"You can keep your money," Soul nodded.

"It's more important that you're happy." Kim's soft smile disarmed him.

Soul feigned fright, his hand grasping at his chest. "Kimial Diehl, did you just prioritize my emotions over cash?"

"Why are you all so loud?" Kilik was gripping the doorway, his other hand clutching his still aching head which had only been exacerbated by his roommates.

"Soul has a girlfriend!" Kim chirped.

Black Star was finally back to consciousness, grasping at Soul desperately. "What? How? And why? And who's going to be my wingman?"

Kilik, even with his unhappy body, moved swiftly to grab Black Star by the collar, pulling him from Soul and the bed. "You're supposed to say congrats, idiot. But for now, you're all supposed to shut the fuck up so I can rest." Kilik shot a look at Kim who mimed locking her lips before he continued to drag Black Star out.

Kim gave Soul's shoulder one more push. "Really, though, Maka seems nice."

"She is," Soul whispered, letting out a dreamy sigh regardless of how sappy it might have sounded.

She smiled through rolling her eyes and slipped off his bed, moving to the door with quiet steps so as not to incur Kilik's wrath. There was a momentary pause at the door and she looked over her shoulder, shooting him another out of character warm smile. "You deserve this, Soul."

He blinked, trying to process this person who was masquerading as Kim. "Are you still drunk?"

"Shut up." She waved a hand dismissively at him before closing the door behind her.

Soul waited for the sounds in the house to dissipate before reaching for his phone, weighing it in his hand. He wanted to text her and this new, strange gut reaction was telling him it should be gushy and saccharine and- "Uncool," he groaned. He lay back on the bed before clicking on her name. "_I have to work tonight. Lunch? Coffee?"_ Translation: I want to see you, please, I'll take anything. But at least it wasn't lovey-dovey.

He flipped away from her name momentarily, clicking on Wes. If he scrolled up all he'd see was a wall of one-sided conversations, maybe an 'OK' or 'No' thrown here or there. He had to be better than that. "_Meet me tonight at work? I swear I won't be a jerk."_ Maybe the last part was too much but it was the closest he felt he could get to an apology, acknowledging that he was an asshole.

Maka's name blinked first. "_Coffee, please. 2?"_

"_I'll pick you up?"_

"_Yes."_

He paused, his face growing hot and his stomach tying itself up in a knot. "_Can I kiss you when I see you?"_ Normally, he'd just do, but damn it did he find himself wanting her permission for some reason, like everything about her was something he had to work to deserve.

He was hoping for a '_yes_,' or an '_of course_,' but her message shot back, "_As long as you're not licking my face or anything."_

Soul snorted, a goofy grin splitting his lips. "_I can't guarantee anything."_

Wes's message interrupted, causing his face to falter. "_You OK?"_

A tendril of guilt blossomed in his chest. "_Fine. Just meet me."_ He should add an apology or some more acknowledgment that he was a colossal jerk but he couldn't force his fingers to move.

"_Before or after? You work 8-12?"_

"_What's best for you?"_ He couldn't imagine his brother out that late, or even at a bar that late, but maybe that was the brother he remembered from years ago when they were living under the same roof.

"_See you at 12."_

Soul stared at the screen and heard his teenage self screaming, grumbling, and groaning that seeing Wes was a waste. Whatever their relationship was it was irreparable and Wes's attentions and intentions would always just been motivated by pity. Everything about him was to be pitied. He was a talentless slacker that didn't deserve the attention he did get let alone anything new and-

The buzz of his phone broke his train of thought. "_I think you can at least guarantee a kiss?"_

He stared at her text, that smile creeping back along with the memories of her grabbing him, kissing him, feeling through his hair in a way that just drove him wild. Maybe all those other, old thoughts were bullshit.

* * *

Maka was surprised to see him already idling in front of the dorm by the time she got down, his helmet resting on his lap. He had been drumming absently on the top of the helmet until his eyes fell on her. A huge grin broke across his face and he strode off the bike, his rush making her heart skip a beat. That daringly cute little text he had sent had left her on pins and needles, filling her with a strange anxiety about a kiss she knew was coming and knew she wanted more than anything.

That feeling melted away as he grabbed her, pulling her into the lingering hug that they had perfected. "Hey," his whisper was deep and throaty next to her ear.

"Hi." She felt breathless and it certainly didn't help that his hand was moving up her back, leaving a trail of goosebumps.

When his hand met her hairline, fingers just barely tangled into her golden tresses, he guided her back and tilted her head. It was achingly slow as if he were testing each part of her lips and by doing so creating a wild sensitivity that sent a thrill up her spine. There was no way she could even open her eyes right away, feeling as if all of her was too weak. "Wow," the embarrassment of that couldn't even hit her.

"Yeah," he breathed across her lips. Soul released her slowly, begrudgingly. "I should have saved that for later."

"You mean that's all I get?" Maka teased as she took his hand, pulling him back towards the bike.

"Depends," Soul grinned, those sharky teeth gleaming.

Maka tried to frown but couldn't break her smile, "On what?"

"It's always give and take, Maka." They made it to the bike and he hopped on, putting his helmet back into his lap. When he went to look up at her, to continue whatever teasing he was about to accomplish, he was instead met with a cascade of her hair.

Maka had caught him by surprise, stealing a play from his book with another subtle, lingering kiss. "Does that make it even?" Her face was flushed and her brain was reeling from the impossibility of this being _her_ since she'd never been one to kiss in public let alone twice on just the walk to the parking lot.

That dumbfounded look on his face made it completely worth it, the way that he just stared at her in a daze before laughing. "Damn it, Maka."

"What?" She tried to look innocent but a laugh broke through.

"You're dangerous, you know that?" He reached behind him and grabbed the extra helmet, pushing it into her hands. "Come on, before you start any more trouble."

Maka giggled as she fixed the helmet to her head, displaying her chin to him so he could clip it. When that was finished she slipped behind him, her hands disappearing into his pockets just as always. That this was how it _always_ happened was amazing to her, the continuity. She eased into him as he started down the road, cruising through the slow streets of campus until he reached the real roads. Not knowing where they were going created no worries in her mind and she simply enjoyed the sights as they passed by.

The small town that surrounded the campus grew into the city, taking her closer to _Reapers _but not quite that far, slowing to turn into a parking garage. He pulled into a reserved spot and cut the engine, waiting for her to move. Maka dismounted, going about the usual steps of reinvigorating her hair after being crushed to her skull. "Reserved?" she questioned as soon as he took off his helmet.

"Uh, well, it's one of my few luxuries." He shrugged as he took the rest of his gear, stuffing it in the saddlebag. "If I'm not at the house or _Reapers _I'm here."

"What's here?" She held out her hand to him, laughing as he still took a moment to stare at it before happily grabbing at her.

That devious smile was back on his face as he intertwined their fingers. "Coffee for one, but I think the rest should be a surprise." Soul led her to the stairwell, taking her through the door to the lobby of the building rather than the street. It was stark white, the track lights muted because of the natural light pouring in from the long swathes of paned glass in the ceilings. Maka's head shot up as she let herself be pulled along, watching the sky pass overhead.

The heavenly aroma hit her in addition to the memory of the first time he'd gotten her a cup. "Is this where you always get coffee?" The scent seemed too familiar as he pulled her to the counter.

"Yeah, but I usually bring a thermos and take the cups. That's the only way it'll survive the saddlebag." He settled to the back of the line, his hand drifting from hers and moving to rest at the small of her back.

It felt like this hand fit there and she found herself leaning a little into it. "Smart."

"I wish I could say that it didn't take me a couple times to figure that out," he laughed. "You want anything special?"

Maka shrugged, "The regular, please."

Soul order regular coffees, taking his hand from her waist only when he had to add the little bit of cream in his that it took to make it drinkable. "Still don't get how you can drink it black."

"You're just not tough enough," she tried to sigh as if disappointed but it dissolved into laughter.

"Ouch," Soul winced. He let his free hand slip back to hers as he led her down the tight hallway.

The hallway opened up to a security desk with fine metal lettering. "An art museum?" Now, Maka barely knew anything about him and she had expected to be surprised by one or two things, but this one sat at the top of the list.

A younger blond man waved from the desk, making sure to get to his feet as they approached. "Hello, Mr. Evans!" He was too saccharine, too eager to please.

"It's just Soul, Hiro," Soul's voice dripped with aggravation, but Hiro either didn't notice or didn't have the ability to deviate from his usual script.

"Right, of course, Mr. Evans."

Maka couldn't help laughing at the way Soul's eyes seemed to bug from his head, a particular vein starting to throb in his neck.

"Just," Soul heaved a sigh. "I'm bringing in a guest today, OK?"

"Of course, Mr. Evans."

"For fuck's sake," he complained.

Hiro waved a pass at Maka, "Nice to meet you, Ms…"

Maka took the pass from him, exchanging a smile. "Albarn, Maka Albarn."

Soul groaned and started into a whisper, "You just should have left off the last name because now it's going to be-"

"Ms. Albarn! Enjoy your visit!"

The deadpan on Soul's face was priceless, worth whatever the admission to this museum was a million times over. "Thanks, Hiro," he offered as a final mutter before pulling Maka away.

"Mr. Evans," Maka whispered.

"Don't you dare." He waved his coffee cup at her menacingly.

Maka leaned into him as he slowed the pace, steering them closer to the wall and a series of Korean paintings. "But this is where you come all the time, Mr. Evans?"

"Maka, I swear," he growled.

She smiled coyly, but gave up on the game, her eyes focusing in on the fine lines and careful brushstrokes of a quiet lake scene. "But you come here a lot?"

"It's a good place to think." He watched her rather than the paintings between sips of his coffee. "And no one ever really bothers you here. Everyone's focused on the walls rather than the people."

Maka bit at her top lip as her brows furrowed. It must have looked like she was noticing something in the paint since Soul tried to follow to where her attention lay but that wasn't what had her mind turning. "Do you prefer to be alone or do you feel like you have to be?"

His fingers tightened against her back only for a second, his eyes widening as he looked at the canvas. She turned from the blues and greens to watch the red of his eyes as they tried to see something in the painting that would give him the answer. "Maybe both. Or maybe one causes the other. I tell myself I like being alone because I am so much."

"Your friends love you." His answer only felt like a tiny piece of the puzzle, and something in her wanted to push for the next piece.

"Sure, Kilik, Kim, BS, all great," Soul nodded, still focused on the canvas.

"Wes-"

"My family's something else entirely," Soul stepped over her words with a shortness she'd never heard in his voice before. "But speaking of Wes, I'm meeting him tonight."

Maka felt the clunky transition, the fact that he was purposefully leaving something behind in that conversation, but who was she to push? Two days worth of a girlfriend, two months worth of a friend? She took a few steps, Soul following along with her as she moved past to the next set of paintings. "Aren't you working?"

"After work. I'm just… I guess I'm going to try to say sorry?" Soul took another swig of coffee as he tried to get the tight knot out of his throat.

"Try not to phrase it as a question." Maka smiled softly, still too concerned about the missing pieces to actually let out a laugh.

"No guarantees," Soul sighed. "But I'm going to try."

Maka let those words linger as they moved among the paintings. She tried to concentrate on her coffee but the bitterness only enhanced the restlessness in her tongue. "You can call me tonight after if you want."

"That's past your bedtime." Soul let his hand fall from her back and searched for her fingers, taking her hand and leading her into a smaller room to the right of the main hall. With the skylights gone the room seemed dimmer, the classical paintings on the wall adding to the eeriness created by the loss of light.

"I don't mind." His voice sounded louder in the emptiness of the room and she realized that they were completely alone now, not another soul meandering.

"I, uh," he cleared his throat and finally stopped his feet. He had positioned them in front of a large canvas where a woman looked contemplatively at a candle flame, the light creating a halo of shadow around her in a dark room. "This is my favorite. Georges de La Tour's _The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame_."

"She looks lost." The figures eyes were entranced by the flame, her own existence and thought captured in that tiny blaze.

"Technically she is," Soul took a huge breath as if he were going to launch into a professional dissection of the painting. Instead, he whispered, "We're all looking for a light, and when we find it we're drawn in." Before she tried to see it in the figure, she turned to look at him and it hit her that he hadn't been looking at the painting but at her, a relaxed smile gently melting away his stiffness from the transition. "I won't call you tonight, but I promise we'll talk about it this week, OK?"

"Alright." Maka felt the heat climbing up her cheeks, the intensity of his eyes making that blush blossom. She forced her eyes back to the painting but felt him still focused on her as his thumb ran over her knuckles. A heated thought rose in the back of her head: _I hope he's looking at me like that._


	8. Coming Clean

I might do some time jumping after this for the sake of my own sanity. I have a lot of the wedding already in my mind so...

* * *

Wes showed up two songs before the end of his set, an additional form of torture. Soul found himself struggling to keep his concentration on the keys, sure that even the tiniest of mistakes was filtered straight to Wes's ears. He managed to make it through but by the end, he felt a new kind of exhaustion washing over him. He needed a drink but since Wes was still sitting there without one, it seemed impolite to walk over with just something for him. "Hey, Wes." Soul tried to beckon over Patty but couldn't catch her eye. So much for taking off the edge.

"You never told me you were playing jazz. It really suits you." Wes was beaming in that proud papa kind of way, eagerly leaning over the table to get closer to Soul.

_Whichever way you're about to take that, don't. You can do this._ "Thanks. I, uh, I actually like it." If he could do so without looking stupid he might have reached around and given himself a pat on the back. A normal conversation with his brother, who would have thought.

"It shows. You played extremely well." Wes watched the compliment strike his brother and knew this wasn't the right lane to be in. "How's the recording going?"

"I've had a few more customers." Soul tried for Patty again, feeling the anxiety rising into his throat. _He's not trying to hear you're not successful, that's not what he's searching for._ Thankfully the blond finally saw him and came dancing over, stopping short as she saw the mirror image that was Wes.

"Who's this?" Patty cooed.

"Wes, meet Patty. Patty, my brother, Wes."

"Nice to meet you," Wes charmed right back. "Could we have two bourbons, Russell's Reserve if you have it, please?"

"Of course," Patty raised her eyebrows momentarily at Soul before scampering off.

"Bourbon?" Soul couldn't stop a smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I didn't think you liked that kind of stuff."

"Maybe we're not that different." His smile was tentative, knowing he was toeing the line.

Soul gave in, letting the grin take him. "At least not when drinks are involved." The words sat there for a while, the mutual smiles sinking in with both of them. It wasn't until Patty appeared back with the drinks and both of them took their first sip that Soul felt his tongue loosen. "I was a dick, Wes."

Wes put his hands up, "Soul-"

"No, don't." Soul took another quick sip, running a hand over his mouth to wipe away both the guilt and the kick of the bourbon. "I… you don't deserve the run-around. It doesn't do shit for either of us."

"OK." Wes took a hesitant sip, waiting for anything to bookend that comment. "Thank you, Soul."

"Come on, don't thank me for not being an ass." Soul sighed but refused to let his smile waver. He needed Wes to know he wanted him here and his face was probably the best way. "Plus, you're getting married. That's probably stressful enough without your brother acting dumb."

"Ah," Wes sighed before taking a long swig from his glass. "I've been keeping the stress to a minimum since you're the only person I've told."

"What?" A second before and it would have been a spit-take. "You didn't tell Mom and Dad?"

Wes shrugged. "Would you?"

"Fuck no." Soul found himself laughing in spite of the situation, or maybe because of this new information. Wes keeps things from Mom and Dad. Wes is a human being. "Maybe you should just elope in Vegas, really stick it to them."

"OK, I can't channel that much of your personality," Wes chuckled.

"Me?"

"You're the rebel, remember?" It was playful, but Soul still felt those words grate against his ears.

He tried to cover the dip in his smile with his glass, taking a slow sip. "More black sheep, but sure."

"Not to me, Soul." It was the combination of the hand reaching out for Soul to pat at his elbow, the hard shake of Wes's head, the slight tremble of Wes's voice as if it would break.

His stomach tied up in knots and all those little asshole moments were staring him in the face, all the hurt that he just had to cause to make up for his own. "Thanks, Wes."

Wes ran a nervous hand through his hair, a habit that they shared almost as if through blood. "But, uh, it'll eventually have to be brought to their attention and thought it'd be best to do so when we're all back for winter break."

"And I'm guessing you want me included in that all." For the first time, Soul took his eyes off of Wes, his hand clutching at his forehead so his eyes focused on the table.

"I know it's a lot to ask and-"

"Fuck, it is, Wes!" Soul felt that control slipping out of his grasp, the volume knob turned all the way up. _He wants you there just to divert the attention. He could look bad but you will look worse and Wes will walk away unblemished._ His hand clenched into the table and his mouth hung open, ready for another outburst of vitriol.

It was as if Maka were behind him, a soft whisper repeating from her lips, _Do you prefer to be alone or do you feel like you have to be?_

_I'm not going to be alone._ Instead of booming, his voice came out trembling just above a whisper, "You just better make sure the place is stocked with bourbon because if Mom breathes one word to me that isn't related to your wedding…"

Wes jumped at his opening, "Deal, Soul, whatever you want."

"Yeah, deal, sure," Soul muttered, draining far too much in a gulp. His eyes watered a little and he blamed it solely on the alcohol.

"Look," Wes played with the rim of his glass while avoiding Soul's eyes, "Don't take this the wrong way, Soul…"

That little turn of a phrase made him grin, the memory of Maka drifting across his mind. "Yeah?"

"You're different." Wes put up a finger to pause any comeback. "Like a good different."

"Just growing up, I guess." Why was he holding on to that tidbit? But he hadn't even told her what his life was like, so why did his life need to know about her yet?

"Sure," Wes narrowed his eyes a little as if hearing the questions that came after in Soul's mind. He didn't push, wanting to hold onto the mood of the evening at any cost. The rest of the night entailed finishing their bourbons and talking about things that didn't matter but started to tie them together.

No matter what, though, in a month and a half Soul was going home.

* * *

Maka didn't hesitate to invite Soul to the dorm, but the thought of having him in her room was sending her into a teenage-grade tailspin. It started with the cleaning, rearranging to make things seem less stiff even though she had argued that point with herself multiple times. Soul seemed well aware of what she was, so what was the point? It ended with staring in the mirror, looking at angles that should be curves as she sorted through outfits.

Decisions were easy when they were navigating the outside world. She didn't have to think of what she was covering underneath because the closest he could come out there was to drift a hand just under the hem of her shirt. But alone there were too many options and… did she even want to say no to any of it? Taking it slow was her forte, the modus operandi for the girl who was always sure her SO was still on the prowl. But with Soul, she felt herself rushing to connect, to concrete.

At the same time, it felt like her body would be the last thing to seal the deal. It was more like an in-spite-of situation instead.

When Soul texted, she was still partially in a panic, a small withering yelp escaping from her throat at the buzz of her phone. At the sight of '_here_,' she gave up any last efforts to preen and practically booked it to the elevator, the jogging only working to send her heartbeat further through the roof. The elevator offered her a 360-degree view of herself, allowing for more last-minute nitpicking until the doors slid open.

Soul's smile snapped her out of it momentarily, that ear to ear grin making any thoughts in her mind turn into mush. They exchanged little hellos, his hand instantly coming to its place at the small of her back as she signed him in with security. Maka made the agonizing walk back to the elevator, trying to savor the feeling of his fingers. As the doors closed in on them she felt him do the same, pressing her delicately against the mirrored wall and capturing her lips. He never liked to let a greeting go by without that.

Before the ding, Soul gave her space back, only leaving his hand in place. He cleared his throat, those fingers tensing against her spine. "Something wrong?"

"Uh, no," Maka bit her lip. As if she could be more convincing.

"What, didn't finish your notes for today?" The vibrancy in his smile was wavering a little, his teasing only half-hearted.

Maka tried to feed his smile with her own. "Nope, all color-coded and ready for you."

"Can't wait." But she could tell he was letting her off easy.

To make matters worse, Tsubaki wasn't even there to put some kind of damper on activities. Maka almost bristled as they finally made it into the confines of the apartment. "I, uh, left my books and stuff in my room." He didn't answer, just followed her as she moved through the common area to her own space.

Upon entering, Maka had assumed he'd look around, take it in, but he made a direct move to the desk, plopping himself into the chair. "I hope you got that stuff on conversions of pyruvate to AcCoA because I feel like I read it eight times and I think it leaked out my ear each time."

The relief washed over and she was able to flop onto her bed, pressing her back against the headboard. "Oh, yeah, find it in the book, I'll talk you through it." And she did, thoroughly, watching as his brow went from knitted to relaxed. He moved from topic to topic to quiz her, her stomach unclenching, her mind completely forgetting that this was her fifteenth outfit choice. He was still stealing glances at her, eyes lingering for too much time between questions. As if she minded.

The clock had ticked away an hour before Tsubaki had returned, exchanged some pleasantries, and then shut the door behind her, making sure to tell the two she'd be in her room, on the opposite side. This had made Maka blush, but Soul seemed unphased, just continuing through another topic as soon as Tsubaki left. It wasn't fair, the way he seemed constantly together, unaffected, but she knew that was a lie, too. As the material dwindled, she cleared her throat. "How did it go with Wes?"

That did set him off his track a little, eyes blinking, and Soul closed the notebook, placing it carefully on the desk. "Can I put that off one more day?"

"Are you OK?" She put her book on the stand and was ready to get up and out of the bed, to come to him, but he put a hand up.

"I'm fine. I just… I kind of wanted…" His eyes floated around, now seemingly intent on what the room looked like. "Can I come over there? On the bed?"

"Yes," she hated the squeaky quality of her voice.

The chair creaked only to be answered by the bed as he put a knee on it. He was pausing, almost testing the bed springs before he crawled up to her. Maka stole one of the pillows from behind her back and put it next to her just before he eased into the headboard, his shoulder pressing to hers. "Did we go over everything?"

"Besides your personal life, yes," she smiled but couldn't laugh.

His normal grin was gone, replaced by a face so solemn and searching that she was terrified they were about to have some kind of conversation she wasn't ready for. Instead, he brought his hand to cheek, bringing her forward to lips that were searching and needy. Soul didn't seem to care about air, about space, just to part her lips and tangle his tongue into her mouth. His hand moved from touch to grasp as it moved to the base of her neck, sinking into her hair.

Maka found herself sliding down and he came with her, his body pressing again her. Laying like that gave away the curves of each of their bodies and flash of concern washed over Maka. As if he could taste it, Soul slowly pulled away, biting at her lower lip softly as he came out of the kiss. "Can I touch you?"

"Maybe just… could we just kiss? For now?" The flustered blush, the heat from feeling his lips against hers was fading into that sadness, the anxiety of the moments before he got there and her eyes felt as if they were about to betray her with tears.

"Maka…" But it wasn't coaxing or admonishing like he was pushing her, instead, she knew her body was giving it away, he was seeing it. "We can study some more if you want."

"No, I like this." The words sounded stupid in her ears and it was just enough to tip her into freeing a tear from her eye.

"Hey." His hand untangled from his hair to rub a thumb through the tear, clearing it from her face. "What is it?"

She stared at him, feeling his thumb come back again just to rub lovingly against her cheek. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Soul's face went through an evolution of concern, confusion, humor, and then seriousness once he settled on the reality of the situation. "Remember the first day we met? You sat next to Tsubaki in lab."

Her stomach clenched as she seemed to instantly set the comparison there. "Yeah."

"BS was being BS, giving his daily rundown of the girls he was seeing. He started describing Tsubaki, wanted me to have a look. I went to glance over there but my eyes never got that far. You popped up first." Soul couldn't help himself and broke the storytelling to give her a feathery kiss. "I stared. I thought for sure you'd catch me but I didn't care. You were so beautiful and you were the only place I wanted to look."

The words were starting to seep in but that lingering feeling hung on. "But you're…"

"Crazy about you?" Soul offered with a laugh.

She sighed, "Handsome, Soul."

"Thanks," he added another laugh. "But my hair's perpetually a mess and I'll never be anything but lanky. I swear, BS force-fed me protein powder and made me do reps for months last year and I still look stringy. Also, have you heard BS call this my ugly mug? Sometimes I agree. Depends on the day."

She started to protest, her hands digging into the fabric of his shirt. "No-"

"Yes," he cooed back with a smile. "Give me your hand."

"What?" But she did as she was asked, bringing her hand up from his back and waving it weakly in front of him.

His hand gently circled her wrist, his thumb caressing her palm. "Tell me about your fingers."

"They're… boney?" she offered weakly.

"They're delicate and perfect for running through my hair," he whispered, a blush rising on his cheeks. "And that honestly drives me fucking wild. What about your wrists?"

A smile was started to pull at the corner of her mouth, half from his ridiculousness in these questions but also the thought that anything she did to him got that kind of reaction. "No problem with my wrists."

"Good." He paused to consider the next body part but let his hand slip into hers, interlacing their fingers. "What I'm trying to say is that it's definitely not just your personality that does it for me. Every time I see you I can barely take my eyes off you." Another gentle kiss accented by a squeeze to her hand. "I'll take it as slow as you want, but next time ask me what I think. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah," she laughed softly against his lips. Maka slipped her hand from his, moving it along his neck into his hair, watching as he leaned into the touch, a contented grunt coming from his lips. "And as a friend, I'd like to say you definitely don't have an ugly mug."

His only reply was a chuckle before he nipped at her lip again, pulling her into another searing kiss that started to melt those thoughts away, the worry nothing more than a vapor.

* * *

The vigorous kissing had been more than enough for Soul, a sentence that he never would have dreamed would ever have popped up in his head. Again, there was that tug in his mind that he wanted, needed this to go perfectly and just savoring the steps was what seemed to feed him. Plus, he still felt like he hadn't technically been honest with her, but he supposed that's what tonight was for.

Soul had considered bringing her back to the gallery, maybe even showing her the little studio he rented, but it all seemed too opulent. The house always seemed like the last resort thanks to the three stooges, but he had made sure to blackmail them into compliance, at least just for the evening. Kim was conveniently at Ox's, Kilik at work until ten, and Black Star at school and then the gym for at least a few hours. He could only hope.

Maka had flat-out refused to have him pick her up especially since the weather was edging closer to being far too frigid for an open-air ride. Instead, he waited patiently for her at the closest bus stop, hands shoved deep into his pockets. The nerves didn't catch up with him until the bus came to a complete stop, Maka almost bouncing down the steps, her blond hair swishing with each step. He tried to blame the breathlessness on the tight leggings, a sweater dress only reaching down to her mid-thigh peeking out from underneath her jacket, the rosy glow on her cheeks.

He swallowed it down, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leaning into her ear. "Maybe I should have brought up your legs the other night."

"Soul…" she was rolling her eyes, the blush high on her cheeks.

"I still can't pick a favorite, but these tights might be a deciding factor."

Maka pushed him playfully, "Stop."

"Never." He gave her shoulder another squeeze before picking up the pace down the street. It was only two streets before they could make the turn down to the house, the two of them huddled together in the chill of the November night. The street was empty and, thankfully, the house was as well as Soul swung open the door.

"Where is everyone?" Maka peeked around the empty living room.

"Kilik's at work, the other two are doing whatever it is they do for fun." Soul shrugged off his jacket and threw it over the back of the couch, taking hers and doing the same. "How were your classes today?"

"Oh, Lit Theory was great today since we finally got to take apart Kafka."

Soul took her by the hand, pulling her towards the couch. "That's the guy that turned into a giant bug?" He plopped into the cushions but before she could move to his side he grabbed her, pulling her down into his lap.

Maka couldn't stop a laugh and slid herself slightly to the side, leaving her legs in his lap and her back up against the armrest. "Well, the guy who wrote about a guy turning into a giant bug."

"Please tell me there's more to the story than that." He rested a hand on her thigh, the other coming up to quickly run through her hair.

"Well, yeah, but it depends on who you ask." She captured the hand from her face, intertwining their fingers. "What about you?"

"Fine. Lots of numbers, all of them blending together," Soul sighed. "Maybe I should have just stuck with music."

Maka smirked, raising an eyebrow. "There's plenty of time to change majors."

"Sure." Soul rolled his eyes before letting his head fall back against the couch, his eyes focusing on the ceiling. "So I owe you a story or two, huh?"

"About what happened with Wes?" There was a battle of excitement and concern playing in her voice.

"I guess it's a little anticlimactic, but it went fine. Maybe even nice," but he still somehow managed to punctuate it with a sigh. "But he has me coming home with him over winter break in order to tell my parents about the engagement."

Maka's eyes went wide, blinking. "That's not anticlimactic."

"But I didn't yell once, so I have that going for me." He let his head roll to the side, focusing on her with a minuscule portion of his usual smile.

Maka squeezed his fingers, the smile elongating on her lips. "Which means you succeeded in having a grown-up conversation with your brother."

He savored that smile as if it were a gift for his good behavior. It was starting to feel like it was. "I haven't been home in a while."

"A while meaning?" He hated and loved that she wouldn't let him get away with that.

"Since college. I just stay at the house year-round. BS does, too, so it's not the most depressing existence, but…" Soul cleared his throat, giving her the clear sign he wasn't done but finding himself unable to tack anything on. Running a finger over her knee, he tried to focus on that, on the fabric, on the curvature, on the way that maybe he did like her legs the best of all. He could smile a little then. "Both of my parents think that name is everything, or maybe it comes right after money. I feel like it fluctuates."

"But they don't _make_ you come home? I'm pretty sure my dad would have a fit, threaten to stop paying my tuition all together if I missed even one holiday." Maka was finding it hard to concentrate on one thing, his obvious pain, his threatening anxiety, or that delicate finger running up and down her leg.

"They don't pay for me," each word had a force of its own. "I don't take any of their money and that's how I want it."

Maka blinked, "The bar pays enough for that?"

"Between the bar, the events that I play sometimes, and the music I sell and produce, it mostly evens out." Soul upgraded the finger to his whole hand, the connection seemed to be the only thing keeping him going. "I'll admit that I let Wes… well, he didn't give me much of a choice about paying for being at school. But it's him, not my parents, and Wes never makes threats."

She had to still that hand, planting hers over top of it, now holding both of his. "So, you work three jobs. And school. And still manage to have your notes and now I'm taking up your time."

"Don't ever say it that way," Soul squeezed her thigh, watching as a blush erupted on her cheeks. "You don't take anything. I want my free time to be with you." He forced the hand a little higher, her grip loosened as he reached the hem of her dress. "I make everything work. Perfected it last year. This year just needs some well-deserved tweaking. I think _someone_ was right when they asked me about being alone. I don't want to be alone."

"_Someone_ was being terrible and intrusive when she asked that," Maka's blush at this point bordered on red, amped by his hand and the embarrassment. His face told her he didn't have any plans to admonish her and she gave in, reached her fingers out to cup his cheeks, pulling his face to hers just momentarily, though she could feel that needy hand trying to pull her in. They weren't done, though, she couldn't let him get away. "Will you be OK if you have to go back?"

Soul's growl turned into a groan, anger giving away to frustration. "No, but I have to make it OK. I have to do this for Wes." As if he ever thought those words could or would come out of his mouth.

"If you need me to…"

He should have had a firm '_no'_ to place here, the idea of even putting a three-month friendship, one-month relationship in jeopardy should have been an utterly stupid idea. Beyond never even wanting to tell his parents about Maka, what would they do to her if they met her? What would they even put her through for not being some blue-blooded heiress? "I don't want them to hurt you." It was a weak whisper and he wasn't even sure those words had come from his mouth.

"Mob hurt me or words hurt me?" Maka gave half of a smile before giving it up to bite her lip.

"Words. Maybe some actions thrown in there, mostly passive-aggressive." Soul moved his hand to cup one of hers, pressing it into his cheek. His breath was so deep she was sure his lungs would burst. "But the wedding is this June and I… it sounds so selfish after what I just said but I think I'm going to need you there."

"Why is that selfish?"

He took the rest of his breath to look at her, just to look at those beautiful green eyes. "Because this is all crazy, isn't it? We haven't dated a month and I'm throwing a million things at you, dirty, tangled, deep things that normal me wouldn't ever even tell anyone about. All this stuff should be locked away tight and I should be running from it but I'm going right into the thick of it and begging you to come with me. It's _weird_."

"Our relationship is weird." The tension eased out of her face and she surprised him with a smile. "And maybe it's nothing like I've been in before but… I like this. I don't think it needs to be anything other than what it is."

"So you'll come with me?" He shook his head slightly. "I mean, to the wedding."

"Yes, but if you need me-"

"Maka," he groaned out in frustration.

"Soul," she mimicked, making his frown tighter. "I'm not saying I'm going to come to Christmas dinner at your house or anything. But late December into the middle of January is a long time and I'd like to see you."

"I'd rather just come to you," Soul sighed.

Maka's sharp laugh struck him in the face. "And come see my insane dad? I'll take your parents, thank you very much."

"So I'm guessing you didn't tell him either…" They weren't Romeo and Juliet, that was for sure, but it didn't sit well, especially not at their age, but just the thought of telling his mother left his mouth filled with sand. Maybe sooner is better than later, though and tried to ease the tension of that thought by moving that hand back down her leg, drawing another pattern on her thigh.

She frowned, "I hope it doesn't bother you, but no. Absolutely not."

"It can't bother me if I've done the same thing, right?"

"Maybe we'll let them all know five years from now." Maka tried to relax back against the arm of the couch but Soul leaned towards her, pinning her there as his hand made the revolution back up her thigh.

"Five years, huh?" He eased towards her lips.

"Maybe more," she let out a contented sigh, "You said for as long as I can stand you."


	9. Dinner for Four

Super long update! Sorry it took as long as it did.

* * *

It the first Wednesday in December, not a normal study day but as Soul was realizing, once you crept towards finals every day was a study day for Maka Albarn. He was currently allowed to be in the same room as her, his shoulder pressed against hers as they lounged in bed, but that was the full extent of his permissions. No talking, no teasing, no flirting, no kissing for the designated two hours. Touching, other than their shoulders, had been completely prohibited. It was driving him insane.

Soul had been able to breeze through his notes for Calculus in the first hour and since she was studying Lit, pouring over pages worth of analysis, he knew he wasn't going to get her to change to Bio for the sake of some entertainment. It was heaven-sent when his phone began to buzz, "It's Wes."

She paused her work and sighed, pressing her cheek against his shoulder and closing her eyes to rest them from the pages.

For once, he accepted the call, "Hi, Wes."

"Hey, Soul," Wes was just oozing excitement. "Are you busy?"

"Just studying a little." Soul used the phone call as an excuse to trace a hand down her leg. They definitely were his favorite.

"Oh, didn't mean to interrupt," he paused as if waiting for the argument but found none, "but ever since we talked last, Elizabeth has been a force to be reckoned with about meeting you."

"Oh, your fiance?" His drifting fingers stopped and Maka's eyes fluttered open, looking at him.

"Yes, and I put off calling because, well-"

Soul sighed roughly, ending Wes mid-stutter, "Yeah, I usually only do small doses, I know, Wes, it's OK."

There was a beat of silence before Wes found his excitement again. "She wanted to do dinner tomorrow."

"You did put it off," he couldn't help himself from laughing. "Wes, can you, uh, give me one second?"

"Of course, check your calendar."

Soul hit mute just in time for another healthy laugh. As if he had a calendar.

"Everything OK?" Maka smiled softly, hope blossoming from all the laughter.

Soul liked the break and took advantage, brushing his lips against hers. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's our usual study date," she narrowed her eyes at him, looking from him to the phone. "Why?"

"Well, Wes is trying to invite me to dinner."

"Invite you," Maka pointed out.

His heart moved out of time, his eyes searching her face like he wanted to memorize it. "As soon as I tell him I have a girlfriend, it'll be an invite us."

Maka stared back for a moment, slipping her hand over his chest. "You're ready to do that?"

Wes didn't necessarily mean his parents since he was slowly coming to the realization that there hadn't been a time where information worked that way, but she was right, he still felt nervous, like he was giving away a safety net. "Yeah." This time she pressed against him, landing an urgent kiss that made him almost forget the phone. She patted his chest to break the spell and Soul looked feebly at the phone for another second before unmuting. "Wes?"

"Is it alright?"

"Yeah, just one thing," Soul cleared his throat and his brother waited. "I, uh, I'd like to bring my girlfriend with me, if that's OK."

He was sure he heard Wes choke a little on the other end. "Your girlfriend?"

"If you're trying to say with my looks you're surprised, remember how many people say we look identical, Wes." It was a nervous laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

Wes matched it. "No, it's just, that's new, right?"

"Just a few months, Wes." Soul's eyes focused back on Maka, finding her trying to snuggle against him to look at if she weren't listening.

"Please, bring her." The amount of warmth in his voice was overwhelming, even through the phone, and he felt something that he hadn't in a long time, that delicate care. Well, not exactly true since it was an everyday occurrence with Maka, but with his family?

It was a new kind of smile gracing his face, not that stretching grin that made Maka's heart flutter but a contented, calm smile. "Yeah, OK. Tomorrow night then."

"I won't keep you anymore, I'll text you the details tomorrow but I'll have a car pick you up at-"

"The Spartoi dorm. But, really, Wes, a car?" Soul sighed, not sure he was ready for all of this to come back to him, chauffeuring, the wining and dining, having to wear a tie.

"Come on, Soul." Wes seemed playful and Soul found himself not wanting to actively ruin it.

"OK. Bye, Wes." The phone was away from his ear before Wes could add anything more, Soul's finger pressed to the red circle on the screen. He barely took his finger off before a round of texts came through with time and outfit expectations which brought a short grunt of annoyance from Soul.

"We're double dating?" Maka murmured into his shirt, maybe having taken the snuggling too seriously, drifting close to sleep.

He finally noticed her waning and slid his arm behind her to turn his chest into a pillow, his cheek pressing against her hair. "Looks like it. Also, I'm not sorry to tell you it's a dress-up date."

"Not sorry? Soul, I have one day. What if I don't have anything?" She tried to squirm away, disgruntled but Soul kept her clung to him.

"I hate the way this sounds, but I'll take you shopping if I have to." He cringed at his own words and pressed a kiss into her hair as if that was an apology.

"No, I've been meaning to go with Tsubaki anyway," she grumbled into his shirt. Her hand crept across his stomach until it latched around his waist, cementing herself to him. Soul let his hand loose from her shoulders, running soft lines down her back.

As much as he was tangled up with her, his thoughts were also a muddled mess, not allowing concentration on the one that really mattered. By the time he was ready to tell her that he was scared, not of how she would be for his brother, but of how much of himself he was placing in her hands, she was asleep, her breathing soft and slow against his chest.

* * *

Soul's first date at sixteen had left him with less anxiety than this moment. Of course it was partially that he was going to have to be with his brother, meet Elizabeth, but it was dawning on him that it was also sharing Maka, bringing her out into this world that he'd never gotten used to and, while there, be forced not to find comfort in her touches, her words. This was going to be agony, and he was slowly drifting into those disjointed feelings that pre-dated Maka.

That was until he caught a glimpse of her in the glass doors. He had been waiting in the night air, trying to make the cold force away the discomfort of his feelings. Maka had worn her hair down but it was curled, soft flowing ringlets waving as she hurried towards him. Her black peacoat gave away nothing underneath and for a second the delightful thought popped into his head that maybe there wasn't anything there. As if to prove it to himself he slipped a hand into her coat as soon as she reached him, fingers coming into contact with what felt like silk under his fingers. He covered up his thought by hugging her close, "Was shopping successful?"

"I think so." But her smile was still hesitant when she pulled away from him.

"Can I see?" He was about to unbutton her coat for her when she slapped at his hand, pushing him back towards the car.

Maka pushed the rest of his hand back, using her other arm to secure her coat. "You'll see at the restaurant."

Soul huffed, opening the door to the car, watching carefully as she climbed in for any hints. There was a momentary flash of a soft, rosy pink but other than that, he was left in the cold, literally and figuratively. He counted to ten, sucking in the chilly air before sinking into the car. "You're being cruel." Soul slid next to her, hand grasping hers in her lap.

They both lurched forward a little as the car began to move. "I imagine it'll be one of many cruelties this evening," she squeezed his hand, "And I think you'll survive them all."

Soul groaned, "If you say so." He leaned over, pushing aside the wave of her hair to expose her neck just enough to plant his lips there. "I'm just glad you're here." The turn of the car slid him a little tighter against her and he let it, his lips pressing back to the same spot, taking in the burst of honeysuckle scent from her skin. "There are a few things you should remember tonight."

"Oh?" Her voice had a dreamy quality and when he lifted his eyes and face to her, her eyes had drifted shut, a smile shimmering on her lips.

"Never say no to a drink, eat whatever you want," his hand squeezed hers a little tighter, "and don't fall in love with my brother, OK?"

A little laugh fell from her lips before she opened her eyes, "All of those sound easy to do, especially since I'm kind of taken right now."

"Try to remember that." His lopsided smile was warming and maybe the anxiety was melting away to something close to bliss. He watched her as her eyes focused on the city turned phantasmagoria as the car sped into the city. While it was too much to hope that Wes would abandon the affluence of the family, he still picked a place less high society refined while still being agonizingly hip, a place designed exactly for the trust-fund kids they were constantly labeled as.

As the car pulled up to the front and Soul pushed out onto the sidewalk, he felt a particular pinprick of anxiety hit him. He was back in the old world, one he never enjoyed. Soul turned back and helped Maka from the car, her delicate hand squeezing his before a word could be said about the look on his face. "We're going to have a good time." She sounded victorious with an enthusiasm that made him crack a smile.

"I just want to see that dress." He pulled her towards the restaurant, a young man in a suit opening the door for him before he could manage to even get a hand on it, allowing him to slip his hand to her back and usher her in.

"You have a one-track mind," Maka grinned.

His other hand wandered, playing at one of the buttons on her coat. "Sure, it's always on you."

Maka rolled her eyes dramatically, encouraging another laugh from him before swatting his busy hand away. Achingly slow, Maka unbuttoned her coat, turning from him so he could take it off her shoulders. Soul forced himself to pull it gently, exposing the illusion of bare skin. The dress came to a soft V at her back, veering into tulle illusion sleeves embroidered with delicate golden leaves shimmering down to her elbows. The rest was a soft pink silkenly flowing to just above her knee. As she turned, he noticed the dip of the neckline, that sweetheart shape accenting her delicate collarbone, as well as the rest of her curvature. "Well?"

Soul would have dropped her coat if it hadn't been for the kind Maitre D' snatching it, his fingers feeling loose and tingly. He'd seen her dressed in a hundred ways, but this left him without an ounce of suave available, suddenly transporting him back to adolescent Soul. "Maka…"

Annoyance almost grabbed at her, fed by that still lingering worry about her own shape. Instead, she forced a small smile. "Speechless?"

He took a step towards her, eliminating the distance between them before bringing his hand under her chin, tilting her head so he could place a tender kiss on her cheek. "I wish I could tell you everything I'm thinking," he whispered hoarsely next to her ear. He stayed there for another agonizing moment, his breath sending a chill up her spine.

Maka forced a hand to his chest but it was weak, without will. "Soul, give the man your jacket."

Soul gave her distance as if her hand had pushed for it and cleared his throat, slipping the leather jacket off his shoulders. His face was alight with color and he tried in vain to wipe a hand over it to reset.

She grabbed his elbow, pulling him towards the hostess as she playfully plucked at his tie. "You should wear one of these more often."

"They're ridiculous," he almost wheezed back, still not fully recovered.

"But you look handsome," she cooed at him, pleased to see him blush again.

Soul tried to ignore the situation and his growing discomfort by accosting the hostess with his name, barking it like an order, "Soul Evans." He heard Maka giggle but kept his eyes on the hostess, her smile thin and half annoyed, probably at his tone.

"This way." Without much else, she walked them along the lines of tables. Just as Soul had thought, the restaurant was somewhere between trendy and classical, tables looking like they were made of reclaimed wood with short backed chairs that always pressed in all the wrong places. Because you can only be cool if you're uncomfortable. The walls alternated between the bare concrete and exposed brick as if having a finished looking space took away from the true aesthetic.

Before they got to the table Soul could already see the distinctive hair they shared and as they rounded the table he was hit by Wes's smile, another thing that he could see mirrored between the two of them. "Hey, Wes."

"Soul!" Equilibrium was lost as Wes stood and threw an arm around Soul's shoulder and pulled him in. He stood frozen for only a second, his mind running in circles about when the last time he had hugged a person let alone his brother besides Maka before he felt Maka prod him. Soul finally reached an arm up, patting Wes in the middle of the back.

The two detached, Soul staring in his brother's face for a moment, for once actually savoring the older man's excitement. He snapped out of it, realizing the secondary purpose to this meeting, "Wes, this is Maka."

Wes's sweet smile was instantly on her, taking her hand in a soft shake. "Maka, you look lovely."

Maka didn't seem to give away a moment's nervousness, her smile mimicking Wes's. "Thank you, and thank you for inviting us."

The woman next to Wes stood, pushing past Wes to hold out a hand to Maka. She was only an inch or two shorter than Wes and that was without heels, which she didn't seem the type to wear in the first place. "No, really, it was overdue." Maka took the hand.

"Sorry," Wes alternated to flustered, a gentle hand coming to Elizabeth's shoulders. "This is Elizabeth, my fiance."

"It's still strange to hear that," she laughed as her eyes looked over Wes for a moment. "I'm sorry that you're carrying the weight of being the first to know." Elizabeth sat down first, prompting the rest to follow suit. "And please, don't call me Elizabeth. I started going by Lizzie ever since I read _Pride & Prejudice_."

Soul hadn't ever really been involved in his brother's life but had seen some girls come and go and Elizabeth, _Lizzie_ didn't fit his usual picture. Normally it was the blond used to be a cheerleader carrying the designer handbag. Lizzie wasn't wearing anything more than a form-fitting black sheath dress, her hair short, even shorter than Wes's, but styled impeccably. She was sophisticated, maybe even a little brooding. Definitely not the norm and Soul couldn't stop himself from feeling intrigued.

"It's no big deal," Soul shrugged. "But that means you haven't even told your parents either."

"Well," Lizzie sighed, "I have about as much faith in my parents' excitement about the match as your brother does in yours." As soon as the words left her lips she motioned for the waiter, interrupting any addition to that thought. "Would you all like wine or…?"

"Oh," Maka hesitated but felt Soul's fingers pinch at her elbow, a playful smile on his face. _Never say no to a drink_. "That would be lovely."

"Nothing too sweet," Soul grimaced.

Wes shook his head with a laugh. "Don't worry, Lizzie's not the sweet type."

"I don't think that's the way you should phrase it," Lizzie smirked, her hand running over Wes's shoulder. "We'll have a bottle of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape." She ordered it with the curl of the French pronunciation on her tongue and Soul started to rethink his original assumption, that maybe luxury was her expertise.

"Why wouldn't either of your parents like that you're in love?" At that moment, Soul couldn't be more thankful for Maka. Soul would have made an ass of himself, asked what Lizzie's money situation was like or were her parents snobs like his, but there Maka had done it in just about the sweetest, most innocent way possible. Beauty and charm.

Lizzie and Wes exchanged glances, short, punctuated laughs. "It's old money, new money," Wes explained as if that said it all.

"Our parents are old money," Soul filled in the blank. "Mom and Dad both come from long lines of silver-spoons. I'm not even sure if Mom ever had to work. Dad does I think just to have time away from Mom."

"While my father started his own business at sixteen, patenting and designing different plastics projects. My mother was a vicious corporate lawyer for one of the first businesses my father ever took over." Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Idol riches infuriate my father-"

"And getting your hands dirty is a sin to ours," Wes finished. "But the last time I was playing in France, Lizzie, for some reason, decided to be there."

"I was hiding in Poitiers," Lizzie sighed. "And I had heard there was a famous, handsome violin player in Paris only for a few nights. I left the _Jardin des Plantes de Poitiers_ and have been hopping around with Wes ever since."

Soul wouldn't even touch the intricacy of the words, but Maka perked. "A garden? I took French in high school and I'm sure that's maybe only one of ten words I remember."

"A large botanical garden in Poitiers where I had the pleasure of being a part-time botanist. Supposed to be full-time businesswoman, but prefer the way plants don't try to talk your ear off or yell at the earliest inconvenience." The waiter returned with the wine, letting Lizzie have a sip to inspect the bottle. She nodded and the glasses at the table were filled.

Soul finally let himself fall into a social grace, sure that somewhere his mother would be compelled to smile at this very moment and not know why, and he held up his glass. "To your engagement." It felt lame, sounded worse, but the look on Wes's face trumped all of it, the shimmering smile of excitement and gratitude. Maka's hand slipped onto his thigh, giving a gentle squeeze that only spurred that warm feeling. _How the hell am I doing all of this right? How in the fucking hell is this going smoothly?_

Maka didn't even seem to be paying attention to her own hand, taking a tentative sip of the wine with a face that so easily told she enjoyed it. "Does that mean you've been here the whole time with Wes since he started his professorship?"

"On and off," Lizzie swirled her wine before taking another sip herself. "Wes can be very convincing when he wants you to stay, though, so more on than off which is what got us in this predicament in the first place. I was _supposed _to go back to Poitiers almost a year ago, but I suppose that'll be for the honeymoon now."

"I've been able to convince her to stay for almost two years now." Wes beamed at Lizzie, a smirk drawing over her features in reply.

"Don't gloat," she whispered before turning her attention back to Maka. "But that's enough about us, what about you? I hear very few stories about Soul and didn't know you even existed, Maka, until yesterday."

"There's good reason you don't hear much about me: not much to tell." Soul made sure to take the grumbling out of his voice, even though it was his first instinct. "Maka's the only exciting thing in my life, anyway." Those fingers on his thigh squeezed again and he knew she was looking at him but couldn't take his eyes off the wine glass, too overwhelmed by his own sappiness.

"He was assigned as my lab partner," Maka didn't wait for him and he could hear the excitement bubbling in her throat. "I did everything I could to scare him away, but I guess-"

"It was too late. It was over the minute I saw her," Soul finished for her.

"I didn't picture you as a romantic," Lizzie cooed.

Soul shrugged, taking a long sip of his wine, trying to focus on the juicy yet bitter tang. As a saving grace, the waiter arrived, specials to detail and menus to explain. It was an agonizing display that Soul relished as it got him out of articulating an answer to Lizzie's thought. Because he _wasn't_ romantic. He didn't send flowers or chocolates. He didn't plan weekend getaways to Bed & Breakfasts. He didn't buy jewelry. That was all the definition of romance, right? As if he had some template to compare it to other than the movies.

While he definitely cared about her, there weren't any of those overt displays of affection. All he'd done was keep her mind off her dad once or twice, take her for late-night rides, kiss her deeply any chance he got. That wasn't romance… was it? The waiter finally intruded into his mental fight over semantics, forcing Soul to order. He drifted back into his argument as soon as his hopes for food were released and seemed intent on only answering his own thoughts, only singling in when Maka started talking again.

"It's been four months since we met." Maka was all smiles and delight and he was glad to see she had already drained her glass, on to Lizzie pouring her a second.

Soul put a hand over his own glass, Lizzie avoiding while she poured seconds for the rest of the table. "She won't be able to come to the announcement, though." There was no way in hell he was going to let her say any different, but he kept his eyes forward as if he wasn't man enough to challenge her with a look.

And challenge she did still with that chipper voice, "But we could do dinner after, of course. Just family stuff around Christmas makes my time tight, but I'll be back before New Years."

"Perfect," Wes seemed more enthusiastic than everyone else at the table combined.

"She won't be coming to the house, Wes," Soul could hear the scolding in his voice. It felt like a step back, but damn it, he had to protect her. She was too willing to head right into danger.

Wes reined himself in with a clearing of his throat. "No, of course not."

"Soul," Maka started but stopped as soon as she saw the blankness on his face, that old coolness that she'd never seen directed at her and had only witnessed that night at the party. "Um, either way, before New Years we should do something again, the four of us."

"I'd like that," Lizzie celebrated.

The rest of the evening Soul felt stretched into eternity. He had known the slow build-up of mess had started even before seeing her but now with the addition of his constant question of the concept of romance and a battle about seeing his parents it had become a burn in his gut worse than anything a few fingers of bourbon could do. And sticking to just that one glass of wine wasn't helping.

Lizzie continued to be charming, to seem like the perfect girl to put up against his Mom and Dad. New money or no, she had the kind of social skills, the pedigree needed, so while she was at least a breath of fresh air among rich girls she was still just that. She had money, and while she may use it better, or live a more interesting life with it, she still had everything she wanted from day one. And she would play nicely with his parents, impress them eventually with stories of France and flowers.

But Maka… she'd mentioned her father was a detective, her mother an attorney. They divorced while she was in high school and it was still contentious, a constantly reopening wound shared by the family. Her life had been a struggle, but she was sweet, loving. But all that left her sensitive, easily hurt. How could he sacrifice her? How could he put her in danger just for him?

Dinner wrapped up perfectly fine on that thought. Soul talked Wes out of drinks afterward, telling the truth that they did have class the next day and the clock was already pushing ten. There was no slowness with putting on coats, getting her into the car, making their way back to campus. Maka had taken his hand, but his voice was still gone somewhere in his mind. He was still vacant even when the car slowed, the door opened and she started out into the night.

Maka leaned her head back in, her lips tight before letting the words come out sharply, "Come inside."

"What?" Soul snapped out of his alternate universe, staring at a face that wasn't anything like the Maka he knew.

"Come inside the dorm, please." That hardly sounded like a request and his heart started to thump in his chest.

"OK, Maka." He tapped on the driver's window, telling him to head out before following her into the chill. She waited for him, hand firmly taking his before driving him into the dorm. Scared wasn't a strong enough word for that sinking feeling that started in his chest, and as they made their way through security and the elevator he was sure this was the end of the road. He'd fucked up and she was over it, over him, and over what they had been doing for the past month.

By the time she dragged him quietly through the door of her room, shutting it behind them, Soul was on the verge of tears. Maka stared at him for a moment, assessing the entirety of his face before forcing him down to sit on the bed, hands heavy on his shoulders. "What is it?"

"What?" Soul blinked, this line of questioning completely outside of the parameters he'd set for what he had assumed would be Maka's breakup speech.

"You started off the night perfect, you were happy, but by the second half you might as well have been on another planet, Soul." She pulled her hands away, wrapping them around herself instead. "And I feel like it's _me._ You only got upset when the possibility of meeting your parents came up."

"We talked about this," Soul whispered weakly.

"But it's still bothering you," Maka offered before sighing. She let one hand free from her middle and it ran over her face, stopping at her lips for just a second before making her eyes refocus on him. "And what if this lasts, Soul?"

That question felt like a needle piercing into his heart. She could not have devised a more perfect question and she seemed to know it, her eyes searching his in the low light. "Can I admit that I'm scared it will?" It was nowhere close to the answer she needed, wanted, but it was what he could give.

"You can be scared, but you can't let that ruin this," she murmured. "The two of them tonight, not telling your parents a thing until the engagement? That's not where I want to end up."

"They'll meet you at the wedding. I told you." Soul stood slowly, waiting to see if she'd push him back but her hands stayed focused on herself. "They'll know who you are." He let his hands slide along her arms, getting her a step closer.

"Do you really think they'll hate me?" She pressed her lips together tightly.

"Hate you? That's not _it_," his voice was pleading, his fingers gripping into the flesh of her arms. "I don't trust them to see who you really are. I trust them to see that you're not a girl they introduced me to and do some stupid shit before they can act like human beings towards you." He forced his fingers to relax so he could slide his hands across her back, pulling her into a tight hug. "Wes is different. He loved you tonight because he doesn't go around with blinders on. My parents aren't capable of that."

"But if this keeps going-"

"They'll have to get over it or not. I can at least completely promise you that parental approval means jack shit," he choked out a laugh before feeling like those tears were on him again. "And please don't give me an _if_ right now, Maka."

"It wasn't a right now _if_," Maka defended, but her face suddenly softened. "Did you…?"

"Come on, you dragged me up here all pissed," Soul tried to joke, to dissipate that sob that wanted to break from his chest.

"Idiot," she murmured before pressing on her tiptoes so her lips could meet his. He was sure that would be enough to put the lid of that urge but instead, he found it intensifying, the way her kiss was gentle, eventually trailing from his mouth along his jaw as she wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer. "Everything else was alright tonight?" Her whisper was warm against his ear.

"Elizabeth seemed alright, Wes was Wes, the food was good." He relaxed his hands to her waist, fingers flexing in the thin fabric of her dress. "You, though, Maka," he sighed and pressed his cheek against hers. "It's not fair sometimes, the way I feel like I can't catch my breath around you. That dress tonight definitely did it, but also the way you never let me feel lost with that hand on my leg, and even right now, calling me out on my shit without letting me get away with it."

Maka made a small sound, halfway between a laugh and approval, a lingering tone of pride that made Soul a little woozy.

"Maka…" he cleared his throat, trying to turn his head so it didn't assault her ear. This prompted her to release him a little, to focus on his face with those big green eyes again.

"Yes?"

"Am I, uh," again, another clearing of the throat as if it would force it to give up the words. "Look, I told you I don't do this, I mean, I haven't been with someone like this before, so…"

"Yes?" A grin was pulling at the corner of her mouth but she was trying not to, trying to listen to his adorable stuttering as if the end result was serious.

_Spit it out, idiot. _Soul watched her smile start and he could fill his face burn. When his voice sounded again he could have sworn the stress made it crack as if he were still in the throes of puberty. "Am I romantic enough?"

The smile could no longer be contained, a laugh feeding it. "What?"

Soul groaned as she attempted to rein in her laughter to no avail. "Damn it, Maka, come on. Lizzie said it. That she didn't figure me for a romantic and I'm _not_, I don't think, and does that mean I'm doing it wrong?"

"What do you think being romantic is?" She finally forced her giggling into submission but her smile was just for him, that warm understanding that he so rarely ever saw in anyone else.

"Tonight was the first night I took you anywhere nice and I don't buy you things or… I don't know. I'm a homebody, I work, none of that is romantic." He started to groan again, but she pulled at his tie, loosening it along with some of the tightness in his chest.

"You buy me coffee almost every day." She finished with the tie, throwing somewhere off towards the desk. "You take me to the museum and always guide me around with your hand on my back." Next, her fingers started to touch at the button of his shirt. "You never push or prod or force."

"That's not romantic," he instantly corrected. "Maybe the other stuff, but not that. OK? That's because… because I care."

"I know." She finally slipped a button back through the hole, then a second, a third. "And it's not fair, but I want to ask you to stay tonight. Not to, you know, well, I guess that's the unfair part, but I don't think I want you to be alone. You shouldn't be alone tonight, not with the way you were thinking."

"You make it sound like I'm on suicide watch." It wasn't a joke; he wasn't trying to be funny. The worst part was thinking about what he must have looked like to her. What had the second half of dinner been?

"You just… you looked at me _that way_, Soul, like with your brother. I felt you shutting me out, too, and I won't let it happen." She finished unbuttoning his shirt and slid her hands under the fabric.

Soul watched her, easing his arms so she could take off his shirt, leaving him in his white t-shirt. He was trying to focus himself in the camp of we're-not-doing-anything-but-sleeping but holy shit was his skin on fire just from her slipping off his shirt. How did that even make any sense? He cleared his throat, trying to forget her touch. "I didn't mean to look at you like that."

"I know," she sighed before turning, pulling the ringlets of hair from her back. "Will you unzip me?"

Soul swallowed dumbly, blinking before letting a hand touch to the zipper. _Does she even know what she's doing to me?_ "Sure, but, Maka…" _Please don't change in front of me, for the love of God, I won't be able to handle it. _The zipper plunged down as all the breath left his lungs.

"Just give me a minute, OK?" She walked over to her drawers, the back of her dress hanging open to show the curve of her back, the delicate porcelain skin that probably hadn't been touched by the sun since high summer. She grabbed a handful of clothes before turning back to him, throwing a ball of fabric at him. "Your shorts from Halloween."

"Thanks." He unfolded the blue ball to catch some of her scent, that fresh laundry smell mixed with some enticing floral addition.

"Be right back." Maka walking through that door was both a relief and a new level of torture.

He tried to fill the time with untying his shoes, slipping off his socks and slacks before swapping for his shorts, but it wasn't long enough. He looked at the bed, trying to figure out the social etiquette here with no previous comparisons. When he was in a girl's bed it was for reasons that didn't include sleeping and, damn it, he'd never actually done this either. Falling asleep at a girl's house was absurd.

"You OK?" The hand that she placed on his shoulder almost made him jump out of his skin.

"Yeah." But the answer was closer to no as she pressed him towards the bed, forcing him to slip in first. He lay there stiffly, his side as close to the edge as possible, eyeing her as she slid next to him and turned her body to face him. Most of tonight had been a nasty, clenched mess in his mind and for a second he was about to let it play out in her bed. "Come here."

Maka curled closer to him, Soul's arm wrapping around her shoulders as she brought her head to his chest. Her arm draped over his stomach before letting her leg wrap around him. "Is this weird?"

"Yes," he murmured, "But good weird. Us weird. Just another thing I'm not well-versed with."

It was silent besides the sound of her fingers playing in his shirt, running along the fabric. She took a deep breath, "Not used to sleeping with girls?" The way her voice faltered he could tell she almost hadn't asked the question.

He squeezed her before planting a soothing kiss on her forehead. "Nope." He gingerly rested his lips against the same spot, his other hand moving to quiet her fingers. "Close your eyes. You have class early tomorrow, don't you?"

She tilted her head just enough to see his eyes, to search over him with that intense concern. That edge in him was still there, his jaw still set a little too hard, but as his hand squeezed hers she saw an infinitesimal hint of contentment. Maka leaned in and planted a lingering kiss on his lips before putting her head back to his chest, listening to his heart until sleep crept in.


	10. Leaving for Home

Well, guys and gals, the adult content is finally here. So, warning: there's some sex stuff ahead. Enjoy!

* * *

Finals are obviously one of the worst times for college students but Soul was suffering from a substantially different set of finals blues. While Maka had not been the best co-sleeper, especially with that hair that he seemed to find plastered on every part of his body and the way she required that they were touching at least fifty percent of their bodies, Soul had cherished every second of it. It had been hard to fall asleep not because of discomfort but because of the absolute level of satisfaction it had brought him.

But there was no way Maka Albarn could be convinced that during finals week Soul should be allowed such a luxury, considering both needed to be well-rested and on time for their tests. Even worse, it meant quick coffee breaks on campus or maybe catching a meal before Soul was cut off again. But, really, it was four days of finals, he should have been easy for the man who had always before been about the hook-up, right?

By day four, it felt like his phone was glued to his hand, waiting for the sporadic texts she'd gotten so well at sending. He was on the bus, just having gotten a seat and settling when he felt the long-awaited vibration.

"_Good luck on your final final!"_

"_Was that a typo?"_ he teased back before shooting out, "_You don't need any luck, Maka, but stay calm, stay happy. I'll be waiting when you're done."_ There was a pause and he stared at the screen willing it to produce something before flipping it back over with a sigh. _Damn it, am I fucking doomed._

Two stops rolled by before the buzz again. "_I have to help Tsubaki pack/leave. Meet me tonight at the dorm. Bring stuff to sleep in. Stay over."_

His eyes had to peel over that three or four times before he allowed the elation to hit him. Somehow he hadn't even begun to factor in the alone part, but just the idea of a planned stay, not over some crisis but just _because _was saturating him and untying muscles he didn't even know had been tight since this sequester began.

It wasn't until halfway through his final that he realized the other fact: the dorm was empty. It brought a heat to his face that made him sure they'd cranked up the temperate in the room itself. It was a hard second half of his exam.

* * *

Soul had packed his backpack, not with study materials like usual but clothing and assorted toiletries. He had ridden the bus on pins and needles and had tried to wait patiently for her to come down and retrieve him. He made sure to kiss her softly as soon as the elevator doors closed them into a little privacy, his lips lingering in an attempt to steal away all the affection he'd missed.

As soon as the doors opened he forced himself back into some level of reality, clearing his throat. "Tsubaki left right away, huh?"

"The flight back to Japan is pretty long and they cut finals pretty close this year, so she was out as soon as she could." Maka flashed him a smile before focusing on unlocking the door, pushing into the suite with Soul hot on her heels. Even in the instant privacy the suite allotted them, Maka brought him back to her room. "I picked a movie if you want."

"Sounds good." He tossed his backpack to the floor by the door. He had opted for comfort right away, sweatpants and a t-shirt under his common, constant leather jacket. He tossed the jacket on top of the bag before turning to find her kneeling on the end of the bed, her laptop open on the desk with the copyright warning queued up.

As soon as she felt his weight hit the bed, Maka clicked play, easing herself back until she found him and pressed her back against him, his arm wrapping around her to pull her to his chest. "How did your finals go?"

"Agony," he leaned his cheek against her hair. "Next semester, I request at least one make-out session per final because, honestly, not only do I, _we_ deserve it, but it's hell, Maka."

Maka rolled her eyes, "Your finals, Soul, the actual tests."

"Tests were fine, but my complaint still stands." His hand eased down her back. "How about you?"

"I never want to see one of those little blue booklets again," Maka groaned.

"You're an English major," he laughed in return.

She tilted her head upwards enough that her huff drifted warm against his neck. "I know."

Concentrating on anything happening on the screen was impossible, only her breath on his neck mattered. Each one intensified that tingle in his stomach, the ache he was starting to feel with his entire body. He had to ask himself that question again, one that he seemed to ask almost every day now, _does she even know what she's doing to me?_ The answer had to be yes, but if it was Maka really must have a mean streak, unfair, cruel even.

Her lips touched just to the left of his Adam's apple and Soul couldn't stop his breath from hitching, his hand instantly clenching in the back of her shirt. Maka angled her head a little more before placing kiss after soft kiss, a slow traveling line just below his jaw. She stopped just below his ear long enough to whisper, "What if we compromise?"

"What?" Soul sounded as if he had snapped out of a dream but his body was still drunk on the leftovers, his hand flexing into her back while that slow spread of ache had turned into a riptide.

"If you wait until after finals you get more than just making out." The words were barely out of her mouth before her teeth gently plucked at his earlobe, her hand starting to linger down his chest.

Soul wasn't proud of the sound he made, probably the most guttural groan that had ever escaped his lips. He tried to recover himself with a breath but it felt useless, his words still coming out as a whisper, "Please tell me that means I can touch you."

For a second he was afraid that was the wrong thing to say, feeling her face moving away from its hiding spot, her body leaving his side, but she was really just sliding herself over him, straddling his lap so they were face to face. "Take it slow, OK?"

"I can do that." The reassurance was half for her, half for him. Soul cupped her cheeks, pulling those roaming lips back to their home. There was nothing that he wanted to do more than to slow down each movement, to memorize how each millimeter of her skin felt against his. One hand drifted to her throat, keeping her mouth where he wanted it while the other lingered to her waist, finding where fabric met skin and easing under it, tracing the line of her stomach.

His fingers didn't get very far before she pulled her mouth from his and his heart leaped, afraid she was pumping the brakes again. Instead, the fabric gathered up and over his fingers, her separating from him enough to remove her shirt. He clutched at her hips, bringing her towards him while steadying himself to sit up. He didn't wait for her lips again but returned her favor from before, planting hasty kisses across her collarbone while his needy hands slipped from her hips to the clasp of her bra.

"Your shirt," she whispered between gasps as he punctuated his kisses with nips of his teeth.

"In a second." It came out half as a growl as he struggled through the last eyelet of her bra, feeling the fabric slip from his fingers. He pressed a victorious smile to the skin at the edge of the last of the fabric that was slowly slipping off her top. Soul tossed the obstruction, his hands easing back to her sides. "This I really want to take slow." It wasn't a touch, a kiss, but a lingering look, his eyes tracing the lines of her body until a blush rose on her cheeks.

"Come on, Soul," it was nothing close to exasperation she was trying to convey, instead a soft embarrassment, a little of that self-consciousness leaking in. Her arms started to draw away from him, hands ready to cover.

"Don't you dare." He made quick work of grabbing her hands, bringing them back to his chest. "I thought I gave you this lesson with your fingers. Do I have to add on?" He forgot all about her request again, a hand drifting up to cup her breast. "Honestly, don't think I can do it justice, but if I have to, I'll try to describe how absolutely perfect-"

"Alright," a short laugh escaped her mouth, the tension starting to evaporate. "I believe you."

"Good." He hovered in towards her but found her bending back.

"Not until you…"

Soul chuckled, begrudgingly detaching from her enough to slip his shirt over his head. "Better?"

She leaned into him, their bare chests pressed tightly. He held her there until he could feel the rest of her stress melt away, his hands roaming her now bare back, making detailed memories of her skin. "Why does this feel so good?" she murmured against his skin.

Contentment stretched across his face as a grin. "Because it's with you."

"And you said you weren't romantic." It was a slow peel from his chest, bringing her face back to his so she could see if kissing him topless would make it as stomach flipping as she expected. She wasn't disappointed, especially as his hand slipped from her back to cup her breast again. Those touches were tender, slow, more feathery that she was used to and she found herself leaning into him, putting force into each revolution of his hand.

Soul released her mouth, drifting his lips back to their previous spot. He used that kneading hand to guide her breast to his mouth, sucking gently before letting his tongue roll over the tip. Maka seemed to bite back a sound, but her hips rolled against him and he had to cough out a groan as he released her from his lips. He moved to her other breast, repeating until he grazed over the nipple with his teeth, this moan slipping past the guard of her teeth.

Maka's hips ground against his again, reminding him of how delicious friction like that could be, forcing another pause for a sigh. But there was also a desperation building because, damn it, how close was he? Just from her pressing, needing hips and the taste of her skin, he was already well on his way to his endpoint. He was aching, even the sweatpants feeling constricting in his current state, and he'd already felt that tightening tingle in his legs. He tried to steady her with one hand on her hip but as soon as he toyed with her breast again those hips moved without much he could do to stop them.

"Take off your pants," it wasn't half as demanding as the shirt order, but her hands were there, tugging at a waistband that didn't have a lot of power to stay put. She had hooked into his boxers as well, getting them half over his hips.

Soul had practically zero resolve to stop her, but even as he lifted himself so she could follow through, he forced his voice through the haze, "I, uh, it's not just going to be me, right?"

"You first." She was tossing his pants and underwear aside, hands drifting up his legs and he felt his knees tremble.

With all the self-control he had, he put his hands over hers, stopping the drift. "I don't do this unless it's both of us." God, if there was any way to kill the mood here it was, and there weren't words for how much he wanted this but it had to be right. "I'm not saying sex, but both of us are, well, whatever you're about to do you better expect to get it back."

She smiled, a sweet sigh coming from her lips. "OK, yes, but you first."

"Fuck," was all he could manage. He tried to grab her shoulders and pull her in to kiss him again, but she was much more intent on the rest of him. One hand still drifted along his leg but the other had clutched the base of his shaft, angling it as she lowered her head to meet the tip with her lips.

Sounds were not his usual especially in these situations were disturbing a roommate or a dorm was a possibility, but as her lips descended he had lost all sense of propriety. He groaned again, with just as much enthusiasm as the last, and sunk his fingers into her hair. There was an epic battle in his mind because he was partially sure he wanted her to slow the fuck down, to give him a chance to hold out a little longer, but that other half was ready just to know what it was going to feel like this time because there was no possible way this wasn't going to be the best.

Soul moved one of his hands from her hair and slipped it down her chest, his fingers grasping her breast again, the soft feathery touches from before becoming needy. She moaned softly but the sound reverberated through him, making his hips buck and that familiar tightness starting in his legs. "Maka, I'm, fuck," as if he could form sensible words while her tongue was shimmying along his shaft with another stroke from her lips. That battle was nonsense now, and as he squeezed at her nipple to elicit another groan from her he felt it, that radiating spark starting from his tip and sending a shockwave into his gut.

That groan bounced off the walls as his legs trembled as they tensed through his climax. It just wasn't possible. None of this was possible. He was with a girl he was starting to, you know, _care_ about and she'd just… blew him away, horrible pun intended. And even with his orgasm, there was this terrible need growing inside him. Not only could he not wait to return the favor, but he couldn't wait for it to happen again, to touch, to feel this on a new day, to experiment with how he could touch her.

_Just, don't go anywhere, _is what he wanted to say. _Don't leave me, don't go, just let me do this and everything else forever._ With that thought ringing in his ears, he pulled her to him, crushing against her mouth, trying to transfer those words and thoughts to her through his tongue lingering on hers.

He trailed his fingers down her side until he reached the waistband of her pants, frustratingly pulling at the zipper after ripping at the button. "Switch," his voice sounded strained, husky as if his groans from before had left him hoarse. Maka let him roll her over, for a second almost toppling off the small bed before he grabbed her, pulling her into the space he vacated. He sunk to her side, propping himself on his elbow, his other hand drifting down her stomach.

He pulled at her jeans and she helped him, kicking them off to the floor. Maka went to slip off her panties but his hand came to hers. "Not yet." While his had been quick, cumming a little too swiftly for his ego, Soul was trying to keep himself at a leisurely pace. His aim wasn't necessarily to tease but to prolong, to make sure she felt everything that he so desperately wanted her to.

Soul started by tracing the lacey lines of her panties with his finger, his mouth kissing a pathway from her lips to her chest, enjoying each hitched breath along the way. Just as her legs started to squirm he ran his hand between her them, pushing the fabric into the gentle V, meeting the pressure created by the buck of her hips. Her fingers tangled in his hair, a long, slow sigh escaping her lips as he latched on to her breast with his mouth, teasing between sucking and a soft nibble.

His mouth stayed where it was while his fingers moved back to the band of her panties, sliding his hand underneath. He slid two fingers between her lower lips, slickly gliding over her clit and opening. He repeated this process, slowly without too much pressure, just enough for her to let out a quivering moan, her hips starting to press to force the contact.

"Harder," Maka's whisper was desperate.

Even being spent he felt a wave of desire wash over him, that breathless voice of hers making his stomach flip. It was as if he wasn't going to listen, his fingers moving away from her core, but only long enough to finally relieve her of her panties. As he brought his fingers back to her, he slid them over her again and allowed them to slip inside of her, hearing the gasp break from her lips. She thrust her hips to push him deeper and he flexed his thumb over her clit as she moved. Little breathless gasps and short sounds escaped her throat and Soul couldn't stop himself from turning his eyes to her, watching her flushed face.

He tried to kiss her but she simply gasped against his lips. Maka's rocking motion started to quicken and he joined her in the rhythm, swirling his thumb in swift, urgent circles. As her hips buckled a low, strained moan started to leak from her throat, drowning out the sound of her fingers clenching into the sheet. He pressed against her lips to swallow the tail end of it, to try to taste it off her lips.

Maka was barely off the high of her finish before he was whispering in her ear, his arm pulling her around the waist. "Don't get dressed, OK?"

"Hm?" She felt delirious and must be, that request seeming so strange at the moment.

"Trust me," he murmured again before pulling his head out of its hiding spot, staring her in the eyes. "That was, it was just… Maka, it was perfect."

"I'm glad." And even with her nakedness, the smile on her face didn't seem self-conscious, a hand leisurely coming to his face, clearing the hair back with her fingers. "I'm sorry I made you wait."

"Don't be," he murmured. Soul turned his attention back to the rest of her for a moment. "Though, I'm hoping that means we get to stay at this stage."

He watched the laugh flex the muscles in her stomach and he ran a finger playfully over them, watching as they constricted again. "I think it's safe to say this can be the new norm."

"You're beautiful." To punctuate he kissed the delicate skin of her collarbone before turning his face back to her. He wasn't trying to be cute, or romantic, just compelled by the way all of this was seeping into him. The only compulsion he had at that moment was to lay there, to run his fingers along her skin and memorize every inch. Even stranger, it was the need to settle into whatever feeling this was that drove him to hold on to her tightly until she complained about the need to sleep. At that moment he thought it might be adoration or infatuation, that concept that Kilik had struck on so many nights ago still something he was completely unaware of. He wouldn't be for long.

* * *

When her phone buzzed first thing in the morning, Maka was expecting a cute quip from Soul. Instead of a wide smile, a grimace met the screen, her father's all caps message illuminating the screen. "_PICKING YOU UP IN 30."_ Which meant he was already on the road, not a question but an order. Exactly how she wanted to start her morning.

It was just her dad, so the best she had to do throw up her hair and brush her teeth, but that wasn't the biggest concern of the morning. She had hoped for at least one last kiss, or possibly another blush-inducing moment, with Soul before he went off to what he considered hell. Now she had to add to the bitter reality with a phone call. The ring went on long enough that she was sure she wouldn't even get an answer, but just before the cut off she heard it connect, the sound of sheets and blankets rustling on the other end.

"You OK?" His voice was thick with sleep but still sweetly keen with concern.

"Yes and no," Maka grumbled.

"I'm getting up." There were the sounds of the movement of blankets, his feet thumping on the floor.

"No," she groaned out the vowel. "Don't bother because my dad's now magically picking me up in 30 minutes."

"No," he echoed. She could hear the distinct thump of him falling back on the bed.

"I know." She made her own thump as she sunk defeatedly into the couch. "So, a week?"

"A whole fucking week," Soul groaned back. "But I'm not staying a minute longer, and as soon as I'm back at the house…"

"I'll come by." That thought at least elicited a small smile.

There was a pause on his end, his throat clearing. "Maybe you can stay here for a night or something."

"Or something?" she teased.

He chose to ignore her. "I'll make breakfast."

"I don't know. How good are you at breakfast?"

Soul mused for another second, the amusement saturating his voice. "I'll put it on level with piano."

Maka grinned, "Impossible, but I guess I'll see next week."

"Next week," he groaned back.

It wasn't enough to make her laugh, and her smile started to dissolve at the next thought. "Soul…"

"I'm going to be fine." It was borderline a whisper, not exactly filled with reassurance, but it was the smallest attempt. "And I'm going to call and text and tell you all the ridiculous things my family does and how I acted appropriate and calm in the face of each one."

"You swear?" She wanted to be hugging him right now or looking into those wine-colored eyes, feeding off of their intensity.

"Pinky swear," that pleasant amusement was back in his voice. "And when times get hard I'll think about that cute sound you make when I-"

"Soul!" He thankfully didn't finish, the blush on her cheeks deep enough without it.

"I just don't want you to forget that most of all I'll be thinking about you." He laughed, but it wasn't humorous, more a huff of air in disbelief. "That sounds lame, sappy, I guess, but I, uh, I'm happy being with you, Maka. That's what I want to think about."

"It's not lame," she murmured, that warm fluttering igniting in her stomach. "I'm happy, too." Her eyes glanced dismally at the clock, feeling the weight of each tick. "I should go."

"Wait," he murmured. "You're going to be fine, too, alright?"

"I…" she started but stopped, wishing that their thoughts were still centralized on him. She had done this purposefully, kept all of this closed because worry about her never seemed useful.

"I feel like it's always me, but I know that stuff with your dad, the fact that you never even mentioned your mom, I know that's there, Maka." He cleared his throat again, treading lightly thrown out the window. "This goes both ways. If you need me, I'm there."

She could barely manage a word, the shock of it all just sinking her deeper into the couch. "Yeah." She had been careful, smooth, only letting him see that dad stuff once and sweeping the rest of it under the rug. All he'd gotten since then was high-strung school Maka. His defenses had crumbled while she had carefully kept hers intact, but suddenly she was feeling the hint of it disintegrating. "I'll be fine."

Soul seemed to huff in reply, "And if you're not?"

"I'll tell you," those words came weakly from her throat. She couldn't. What they had was going so well and those details, that destroyed side of her would simply bore him, disgust him, make him realize she was a handful and not worth the trouble. She had to push away the reality that there was a chance he could care enough that it wouldn't matter and live in the fantasy that she could keep all of this from him. Fantasy had always been easier for her.

"OK," he sighed. "Go get ready for your dad. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye."

Maka let the phone fall in her lap. She tried to concentrate on the anxiety-producing idea of her father picking her up but she couldn't get past that last unexpected part of her phone call. She'd had gotten so well at hiding behind protecting Soul, helping him be better, and now she felt see-through, her guts on display.

Her mom wasn't going to be there, hadn't even returned her phone calls which she guessed lay in a piled-high to-do list that somehow she never made the top of. Her father was going to come to pick her up but then alternate between smothering her with attention and being busy with work himself. Spirit promised Christmas for sure, but everything else would depend on if cases came in. To tell the truth, she knew Christmas wasn't even a definite. She was going home to be lonely again and she hadn't told him a word about it.

But in some impossible way, as if he could read her just by proximity, he knew at least a piece of it. Somehow she wanted to tie this into her caving on the physical intimacy, that in the end, she had to admit she had wanted so badly to have and had almost, just almost, thought about pushing him all the way. Instead, Maka had to admit that this was how life worked: you date and each of your sets of baggage eventually has to come to the forefront. But it was too soon, she wanted more time before this was over, before he left her while she was already starting to feel so desperately… to care for him.

The phone buzzed, the steady pattern of a phone call and she turned it over, seeing _Papa._ She didn't bother answering it, just pocketed her phone and grabbed her stuff. The death march might as well have been playing as she trudged the entire journey to the front, seeing him standing outside of the idling car. Spirit probably hadn't slept in days, but his chipper exterior always shown around his only child. "Hey, kiddo!" He went for a hug but at best got an awkward squeeze of her shoulders.

"Hey, Papa," she tried to insert some kind of artificial enthusiasm. Those gears were still turning on her last thoughts, so the effort felt enormous, tiring.

"Ready to go?" He took the bags from her hands, hoping that at least taking that weight would lighten the mood he already saw on her.

"As far as I know." She smiled softly and opened the back passenger door for him to throw in her bags before opening her own and slipping in. The back door slammed only a second after hers and she watched him stroll around the car, hands stuffed in his pockets against the cold. She had to snap out of it, or Spirit would-

Almost as soon as he got in, his door slamming behind him he started, "If this is about your mother…"

Too late, here it was, the usual ride. "It's not," Maka tried to sound informational rather than annoyed.

Spirit started the engine, flicking the car into gear before speeding off with his usual amount of recklessness. "If she wants you to visit for part of the holiday, it's not a problem, but she should at least let me know beforehand so we can plan."

_As if I'm a child that can't make decisions and plans of my own, thanks._ "I actually haven't heard from Mom." Maka was proud of the coolness in her tone, the way she instantly resisted the urge to tear up.

"Well, that's your mother for you," Spirit cursed through clenched teeth.

Maka forced her eyes out the window, trying not to see the way that statement had fed Spirit. He loved not being the worst of the two parents. As if his presence was enough to give him some kind of upper hand. A sigh forced between her lips and she prayed he didn't hear it, didn't notice. Thankfully, he was silent, the only sounds the road and his fingers absently drumming on the steering wheel.

* * *

Soul had left the toddler-grade-pouting Black Star at the house and trudged to the car that Wes had sent to drive him. It was ludicrous; he could most certainly take public transportation, but of course, any Evans was too good to take the train. With enough begging, Soul caved.

He had wanted to stop by Maka's but her father had picked her up early that morning as if to spite him. This morning, before she left, was when he had planned to - what's the best way to put this - tell her he knew her dirty little secret or secrets. She'd been so amazing to him and he'd greedily allowed himself to bask in that care while she was obviously drowning. It was another step in the _Better Soul_ program she had inspired: reunite with Wes, get his life together, be an actual partner to Maka.

This was supposed to be the first exposure to partner Soul, but he'd had to truncate and rush through it just at the end of their phone call. It still left him feeling selfish and, damn it, was that the worst way to start this week. And even better, he'd have a full four-hour car ride to do nothing but dwell on those thoughts.

_OK, no, you can't do that,_ he ordered. Instead, he took out his phone, clicking on her name. "_Thinking about you already."_ We all know that half of what we do is a self-fulfilling prophecy, so as soon as the message sent his mind drifted off to late-night bike rides, pink dresses, and the way she fit against him while they slept.


	11. Black Eyes & Split Lips

Such a **long** and **heart-pounding** update! Please enjoy.

* * *

Day One and Two had slowly crept by, Soul's mother and father unnaturally pleasant with him and catering to his every possible need. The spoiling was borderline infuriating and left Soul waiting for the other shoe to drop, the motivation for all this smothering to come to the surface. Wes had been conveniently detained and said that he and Elizabeth would be arriving exactly for Christmas Day, hopefully announcing the engagement that evening, the perfect Christmas gift for his parents.

All he had to do was make it through today, Day Three, Christmas Eve, and then he would hopefully be able to blend into the background, back-up emotional support for Wes but nothing more. He had felt a bit obsessive, calling Maka every night before bed, but she seemed eager when he called, picking up almost immediately and asking millions of questions about the ins and outs of his day. The first day, though, on her end had been light. She'd said her dad went straight to work and she'd just puttered around the house, thankful for the peace and quiet after all the finals.

The second day seemed like a repeat, his day filled to the brim and hers just home, waiting. He had hoped it was just an exaggeration, but even as he pushed, prodded, he found nothing to her day other than anticipating when her dad would come home. When he hung up with her that night, anxiety sank into his stomach like a brick. She was alone, and although she answered the phone as bright as the sun he just knew, somewhere deep inside him, that she wasn't feeling anywhere close to that.

So when Maka called early to say she was going out with friends on Christmas Eve, he expected that apprehension to melt away.

"Someplace special?" Soul was peeking out the window, seeing his father out on the back patio trying to sneak a cigar.

"The local bar, Malone's. We seriously just have one and it's kind of a dive, but there's nothing much else to do around here so…" Again, while this seemed like a fine prospect to Soul, he could hear the doubt filtering into her voice.

Soul was liking this less and less, none of his worries actually dissipating. "But you'll be with your friends from high school, so at least that'll be fun."

"One, Blair, and I guess I was surprised to be invited at all."

That brick in his stomach was starting to feel like a boulder instead. "It sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of it."

"No, I'm going," her voice still quivered.

"And if you don't like it, go home." _As if home is any better. It's obvious she doesn't like it anywhere. She's unhappy, and you're not doing a damn thing._

"That's the plan. What about you? I know Wes won't get in until tomorrow. Do your parents make you do Christmas Eve traditions or something?" All of that dread from her voice faded away, the soft concern for him slipping in as if it never left.

"Uh, usually it's a cocktail party. I'm supposed to be there, but for how long will be the question." He sighed, looking back on the bed where his mother had left a brand new Italian suit for him, charcoal gray with a stark white shirt and wine tie. "You won't believe what she's making me wear."

"Oh, send a picture!" Honestly, if she was faking the excitement he couldn't tell, her delight reverberating through the phone.

"Maybe," he grunted.

"Soul…" she cooed back.

"I'd say I'd trade it for a kiss, but damn it, Maka," he huffed.

Maka hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "What about a picture for a picture?"

Soul's grin went ear to ear. "What kind of picture?"

"Well, I might look nice tonight. I'll trade you." Her voice was playful but still a little nervous, knowing the other options for pictures and not exactly being the kind of girl who sent those.

"Fine," he tried to sound just pleased enough but he couldn't help the boyish excitement. He didn't have any pictures of her, and when it came to dressing up, she was always cuter than she realized.

"You agreed too easily to that," she laughed.

Soul attempted to sound annoyed but it crumbled, his voice returning huskily, "Pictures of you are valuable currency."

Maka sighed, one of those drawn-out, dreamy exhales. "Being romantic again."

"Stop it. I never should have ever even asked you," he grumbled. "Go get dressed."

"You get dressed," she tossed back.

"You have to leave soon, don't you?"

"Blair's coming in an hour and a half. Who knows if she'll be on time. She's a little, well, Blair." The words themselves seemed to form a shrug at the end of the sentence. "Party's already started?"

"You know it. Just trying to keep my reputation of being fashionably late to everything." Soul glanced at the outfit again before clearing his throat. "Maka, you'd tell me if, well, if you weren't fine."

"Um, yeah." She was forcing it with every ounce of herself. "It's fine, Soul, enjoy the party. I'll, uh, text you, especially when I get home."

"OK," but it was the furthest from that. They shared quick goodbyes and she hung up almost immediately. Soul cursed under his breath as he tossed off his clothes, changing into the suit, vest included, and the fine black leather shoes. "Fuck," came out pretty clearly as he stood in front of the mirror, trying to angle his phone to get a clear picture for her. This was no good.

He snuck down the stairs, narrowly avoiding a few people he vaguely recognized and managed to make it to the kitchen largely unnoticed. "Marina," he crowed as soon as he got trapped in the bustle, eyes scanning around for the braided black hair, the caramel eyes.

Marina peeked from behind a corner. "Soul, your mother has been looking for you for half an hour."

"She's going to be looking for me for longer than that." He deftly spun through the crowd, making it to Marina's side.

"Were you hiding on the roof again?" She cleaned her hands on her apron before grabbing at his neck, fixing the tie that he had done half-heartedly and crooked.

"Worse, in my room," he grinned.

"So, is it just your tie I'm fixing or…?" Marina looked over him, straightening a few wrinkles on his jacket with her hands.

"I need you to take a picture of me." He held out the phone, the camera function already open.

"A picture?" Her eyebrows creased.

"Yeah, uh, for a friend." Soul shook the phone in her direction again.

The skepticism was still there, but a small knowing smile was starting at the corner of her lips. "A friend…?"

"Marina," he whined, half desperate.

"Fine, fine." She took the phone before shooing him out of the servant's entrance off the kitchen. It was frigid, but the lighting was bright and it wasn't half as busy as the kitchen itself. She pushed Soul against the door to the garage where the floodlight snapped on, giving a perfect backdrop of light. Marina clicked a few, before sighing. "Smile, just for once."

His grin came easily, mirroring Marina's. "OK, you have to have at least one good one." Soul took the phone back, clicking the most acceptable looking of the pictures and sending it to Maka immediately. He was already starting to shiver but Marina seemed to block the way, her hands on her hips.

"A friend…?" She repeated, her eyes boring into him.

A brisk laugh popped from his mouth, "It's nothing, Marina, come on."

She threw up her hands, "I raise both of you boys from when you were infants and both of you-"

"Alright!" Soul moved closer as if the walls could possibly have ears. "Girlfriend. Maka."

"And you don't spend Christmas with her?" Those hands were still expressing their distaste in his direction.

"So you're not happy I'm home?" he teased back, his grin splitting only as his teeth chattered.

Marina, always the tough one, remained completely unaffected by the chill. "Honestly, none of the men in this family to manage an ounce of romance." Hands waved again in Soul's direction. "At least your brother had enough sense to give his fiance one romantic evening before bringing her here."

"You know!" It was half a squeal and Soul slapped his hand over his mouth in surprise at his own tone.

"I know everything with you two boys." Marina took one more minute to smooth over Soul's tie, making a useless attempt at straightening his hair. "So, girlfriend Maka, she's pretty?"

"Beautiful." As if to plead his case, his phone buzzed. Soul was careful to open the picture for himself first, definitely sure she wasn't the type to send something risque, but imagine the horror if she had. It was gorgeously safe, Maka in a velveteen, fitted, dark green dress. He flipped the phone towards Marina.

"Oh," the phone was out of his fingers as Marina angled it for a better look. She examined it thoroughly before handing the phone back to him. "I left your things in that Jag of yours."

"What?" Soul was busy taking another glimpse at the picture. Regardless of how breathtaking every else was, his eyes had settled on her smile, the way it wasn't quite right.

"Your jacket, an overnight bag. They're in the car." Marina started to shoo him again towards the garage door, away from the kitchen.

"Seriously?" Soul was already jamming his phone in his pocket and letting her rush him through the door, the smell of oil and leather hitting him.

"I told you, I know everything about you boys. Get going." Marina didn't give him a chance to object, thank, or anything in between before she shut the door between them and rushed back to the kitchen.

Soul took the keys to the 1990 XJR-S. It should be his father's favorite Jag, but the old man didn't have an ounce of taste and only used it as the first vehicle in which both Soul and Wes learned to drive. It had been Soul's only second choice when his bike was out of commission and you honestly couldn't look any cooler driving around in a Jet Black coupe.

And if he drove like he usually did, Maka would only be at that bar without him for an hour and a half.

* * *

As predicted, Blair had been late. Maka had spent the time staring at his picture, the playful grin, the handsome suit. How pathetic could she be, lingering over the same photo for the extra thirty minutes it took Blair to get there? And even more pathetic was the one she sent in reply, barely a smile, barely anything to look at to begin with and-

"_Didn't know how much I needed that picture until you sent it."_

Maka let out a shaky sigh, pressing her face against the cool bedspread before looking back at the screen. Her lip trembled but she bit it still. _I wish you were here_ she typed but deleted with another quivering breath. Those words helped, but she was afraid she was far past that being enough of a salve, the two lonely days with almost a third to compound draining all of her will. She settled on a heart emoji and tossed the phone only just out of her reach, forcing herself not to stare.

While she sulked, Blair finally rang the bell and, as Blair had done for years, let herself into the house without Maka actually answering the door. They met halfway, Maka getting an exuberant Blair hug just as the top of the stairs.

"Maka, darling, love!" Blair squeezed the air out of Maka.

"Hey, Blair!" She attempted to meet half of Blair's excitement and half of her hold.

Before any more formalities, Blair was ushering Maka down the stairs, talking a mile a minute about every conceivable detail of existence. Maka could barely process any of the information but smiled gently, for a short moment feeling some of that loneliness waning in the face of her old friend. The stream of Blair's thoughts were endless and even as they got to the car she hadn't bothered to try to interject a word edgewise, just letting each wave hit her as it came.

"... and your dad still comes to the club, you know?" was the first line to actually strike home, breaking Maka from the trance of the car ride.

"Does he?" again, she was getting better at adopting that coolness, the sting only in her heart and not in her eyes.

"Yeah, he mopes around there at least once a week." Blair seemed to shrug it off as extraneous information.

"When he's not busy with work," Maka offered weakly as if that made it better.

"Oh, sure, he's always busy, just like usual, busy busy Spirit," she laughed and sent a wink Maka's direction.

The need for a strong drink and possibly strong words with her father washed over her with enough intensity to make her clack her jaw shut. The bar couldn't come soon enough and as soon as Blair put the car in park Maka was out into the night air, trudging towards the entrance with Blair bouncing behind. Before she reached the threshold, Maka took out her phone, clicking hesitantly on his name. "_Going into Malone's. Wish me luck."_

* * *

Gas station coffee was hit or miss, and this was a huge miss, but the caffeine felt like a necessity even though the night was still young. Soul unlocked the car, sliding back in before taking another look at the GPS on his phone. He noticed the message, reading it with a grin. She'd only just now gotten to the bar and that meant that he'd luckily done most of the trip while she was getting ready, waiting around for her friend Blair. One more hour and he'd be… doing what?

He hadn't thought far enough ahead, just jumping for the wind while the jumping was good. Marina was right, this was romantic, but without follow-through this meant nothing. Was he whisking her away to spend Christmas with his family? Was he going to brave the terrors of meeting her father and leave Wes high and dry tomorrow?

Soul clicked on Wes's name, opting for a text since Marina said this was supposed to be a romantic evening for both Evan's boys. "_Don't freak but I might be a little late tomorrow."_

Apparently not too romantic because Wes didn't hesitate to shoot back. "_Meaning?"_

"_Flew the coop for a Maka emergency. 3 hours away. Be back midday tomorrow at the latest, I swear. Just delay."_ Or at least he thought he could swear.

"_Mom furious yet?"_

Soul snorted. "_Mom status unknown. No phone call yet."_

"_Godspeed, little brother."_

* * *

The blond girl was cute, but more importantly, mostly alone. He'd been able to say hello to her twice when he went up to the bar, and when he tried to strike up conversation she was polite but not very talkative. She just must be nervous, that's all. He'd tried the age-old trick of buying her a drink but she kindly refused and continued to nurse her one beer protectively. That friend of hers, the slutty one, was flitting in and out of their conversation, spending longer periods on the dance floor like the barfly she was.

He liked the blond girl, she was better than that, maybe even sad looking. He'd change that.

* * *

Maka's original goal of letting loose was thwarted by a gut feeling. Upon entry she had been ready to down half of the drinks at the bar, hoping to get rid of the ache of thinking about her father. Drinking is always good for that kind of thing. But Blair had ordered her a beer as if that's what Maka drank regularly, and she sat unhappily nursing it as she listened to Blair's broadcast of life in town after Maka went away to the big city for school.

She'd only drank about half before he came up to her. Everything about him looked sharp, the angles of his hair, his teeth, the way his eyes cut into her. His name was Giriko, he wanted to buy her a drink, she seemed lonely. The answers were all polite no's with the exception of begrudgingly giving up her name. The first exchange was luckily interrupted by Blair and he seemed to mosey off.

But Giriko wasn't gone, that tingling watched sensation making her clutch her beer protectively. She didn't take another sip, not wanting to deaden the alertness. When he came back again she made sure to try to seem busy, cold shoulder ready, but without Blair there, it had to be another direct deflection, another _no thank you_ to his face. He seemed less enthused, but she was almost positive that wasn't because he was done.

When Blair returned from this revolution between bar and dancefloor, Maka begged to leave. She was a party-pooper, no fun, just terrible, but she wanted to leave. Blair agreed but begged off to the bathroom first, and Maka went back to clutching her beer. When she scanned the room, she noticed him gone from any of the periphery, and a silly sigh of relief tumbled from her lips. It didn't matter, though, she was leaving. She opened up her messages, clicked on Soul's name, and typed with defeat. "_Leaving early."_

She stood up from the bar slowly and walked back towards the direction of the bathrooms, concerned now that Blair may have gotten sidetracked. Maka would make her way there, check, and then look around the dancefloor. Worst-case scenario, maybe Spirit would have to put his _job_ on hold for the precious moments it would take to drive his only daughter home.

The hallway was frigid, the employee door to the alley ajar and letting the night air seep in. Maka shivered, popped her head into the empty bathroom and then walked back into the hallway. She stopped just at the bathroom door, opting for the second plan and texting Spirit, "_At Malone's. Come get me please."_ And awaited his angry phone call. She took another step, trying to clear herself of the door in order to keep some semblance of warmth when the hand grabbed her and pulled her out into the chilled darkness.

* * *

Soul saw the phone illuminate out of the corner of his eye as he pulled into the parking lot. It wasn't a steady buzz, so somehow his mother was still unaware that he hadn't made it to the party. Or maybe, just maybe, he wasn't actually that important this evening. He could only hope. Soul parked at the end of the lot, noticing the buzz of people drifting around the place that Maka had so appropriately called a dive.

Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket on the way home because his luck today kept striking true, Maka just texting him she was leaving, the perfect time for him to show up and whisk her away. Again, to where he hadn't exactly gotten together, but he figured drinking a beer next to her, just in her presence, would be an excellent start.

He got out, locked the car, and stood joyfully in the biting air for just long enough to hear her cell phone ringing. Now, Maka was more likely to keep it on silent, but he could swear that was it, the same little tune. He walked towards it, pocketing his cellphone. Soul had just been walking, but as soon as he heard the scraping, the little yelp that could only come from those lips that he loved kissing he broke out into a run.

The gap was right off the parking lot, an alleyway created by it and its closest neighbor, the usual route used only for taking out the trash or for the confused patrons to take a piss. Instead, Soul rounded the corner to find Maka sitting on the ground, her back pressed into the wall, her face clenched tightly in the hand of a man. He thankfully hadn't made enough noise, the rage enough to completely drown out the option of his own voice making a sound, so he took the opportunity to attempt to punt the man's head like a football.

See, the easiest way to piss off your rich parents is to fight and fight often. Soul had perfected scrapping, especially since it had ultimately been his ticket to public school. Not only that, but Black Star often insisted on having a sparring partner and between fighting him and Kilik, Soul had been pretty capable. When Soul's foot connected, snapping the guy's head to the side and throwing him off his equilibrium, Soul was riding high that he was in his element, and boy, was this fucking asshole going to feel it.

But he wasn't betting on how fast Giriko would regain his balance, or how fast he was going to unleash that blow to Soul's ribs, sucking the air straight from his mouth. Soul got another swing in, a solid connection just below Giriko's jaw, but the blow seemed to do just about as much as a whisper against a person's cheek. While Soul still didn't have a use for his voice he could hear Maka's, screaming and moving, but he couldn't concentrate on that just yet, since Giriko managed to get a hand on Soul's hair, sending him sailing into the bricks.

Red washed over one of his eyes and Soul tried to blink, but he only managed to make it worse, the vision hazier and a burning erupting from his eyebrow. Still living off the last of his luck, Soul attempted to sweep Giriko's legs, feeling a solid connection and watching through one eye as Giriko fell out flat on his back. Soul was about to jump on him, fist ready to smash in his teeth when he felt the hands on him, the other bouncers and assortment of people filtering into the already cramped alleyway.

Regardless of the cues, Soul was still seethed, his shoulders taut as he tried to free his arms.

"Soul!" Maka was in front of him, hands tentatively touching his face.

The riot of pain from her touch as well as the absolute fear in her voice woke him, his body now still enough that the bouncer allowed his release. As soon as his arms were free he grabbed her, hands softly searching all over her. "Tell me you're OK."

"Your face-" Maka started to moan out but he erupted over her.

"Did he hurt you?" Soul pleaded back.

"Bruises, scrapes, but that's it," she murmured, the tears starting in her eyes. "But your face…"

"That doesn't even matter." A blatant lie since the dizziness was starting to hit him, his stomach lurching as he tried to clear his left eye and found his hand covered in blood.

"The ambulance will be here in a second, just sit," Maka was trying to move him, to bring him to the ground before the inevitable.

"No ambulance," but the last of the word slurred, his butt hitting the ground hard as his vision actually started to grey to almost black.

He could feel her hands on him, trying to keep him sitting up straight. "Soul, don't…"

But it was black then, a low radio hum of noise sounding in his ears. He could still kind of feel her, but even that felt miles away as if he were seeing it happen to himself rather than living it. It was temporary, his one good eye finally focusing back on Maka's blurred face. Without really thinking, about the swimming darkness coming back or the pain that was about to erupt from the movement, Soul leaned forward, slipping off his jacket.

When she realized what he was doing, Maka assisted, chiding him softly and uselessly. "You're going to freeze."

"You need it." He tried to slip it over her shoulders and mostly failed, the weakness hitting him again.

Maka took advantage of his fatigue, draping the jacket back over his front, "Stop. Just wait."

He finally listened, sitting exhausted, pained, until the EMS team came, kneeling in front of him, passing lights over his eyes and exacerbating the sting above his eyebrow. While they were busy with him, he could hear Maka, her voice a shout that she was trying to hold in, but the anger was there.

"He was protecting me! That asshole grabbed me out that door and was about to…"

"Well, it looks like he took more of the beating anyway." The second voice was just as strained. Soul turned his good eye that direction, catching a tall man with red hair, not in a cop's uniform but a badge pinned to his jacket nonetheless.

"Which means there's no way you're charging him with anything, right?" Maka snapped, her hand pressing into the other man's chest.

"Look, the guys are going to do me a favor and treat it like a citizen's arrest, but, Maka-"

"Don't," she shouted.

Her shout didn't matter to the red-haired man, whose voice, low and scathing, scratched at her, "Just because some guy picks you up at a bar and fights for you doesn't mean-"

"He's my boyfriend, Papa!" The phrase caught each one of them by surprise. "And I didn't even ask him to come here," her voice was now filled with tears and Soul tried to stand, to grab and comfort her but the EMS planted him back. "He drove hours just to… to make sure I was alright."

Soul tried to focus again, examining the face of who he now knew to be her father, Spirit.

"How long has this been going on?" Spirit spat back, not even hearing the second half of her explanation.

"That's none of your business," she hissed back. "Can't you just be happy? He _saved_ me. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't been here."

Spirit sucked his teeth before huffing, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Alright, just go home, I'll finish up here and I'll meet you there." He tried to put a soft hand on her arm, to lead her back into the bar.

"No," Maka yanked herself away from him, taking a firm step in Soul's direction. "I'm going to the hospital with Soul."

"Maka," Soul croaked, trying to get her attention.

Her head pivoted quickly, her eyes sparkling as she snapped at him, "You're going to the hospital!"

"Fuck," he grumbled in return, partially dumbfounded by the fury.

"Maka, you can't-"

Years of practice made truncating her father's words as easy as spelling her name. "I'm going. Goodbye, Papa. Merry Christmas." She quickly turned on her heels, edging to Soul's side as the EMS started to withdraw. She knew there was no way to force him into the ambulance, but Maka had already decided she was driving him, the concept of where she was getting a car the furthest from her mind.

"Here," Soul dangled his keys as if reading her mind.

"Come on." She slipped her arm around his waist, helping Soul to his feet. They only had to pause to sign the EMS waver before she was walking him shakily to the car. He guided her with his finger, pointing towards the car. She was instantly taken aback, never seeing let alone driving a car like _that_. As she deposited him in the passenger seat, she started to let the worry sink in that this car might cost more than her entire education.

"Is it alright that I drive this?" She let the panic bubble out as she sat in the driver's seat.

"You want to go to the hospital?" he mumbled, the swelling around the split in his lip making it hard to talk.

Maka sighed before throwing the car into reverse, cautiously backing out before throwing it in second and gliding across the parking lot. If she wasn't so panicked she might actually have enjoyed it, the beautiful way the engine purred and drifted along the road. Her eyes darted over to him, "You drove three hours."

"Yup." His elbow was jammed in the crux of the window, his hand the only thing holding up his head. The gauze taped over his eye and forehead was starting to feel saturated.

She didn't need to be asking him questions now, should let him rest while they traveled the last few minutes to the hospital, but her heart was pounding. "Why?"

Soul wracked his brain to try to fit it in as few words as possible, "You weren't happy."

The urge to cry had to be swallowed, had to be put away, and she bit her lip almost until it bled, feeling the sting when she finally relaxed her teeth.

* * *

The hospital was busy and understaffed, holiday woes from all sides. Soul ended up on a gurney in the hall, waiting hours for stitches above his eyebrow and the confirmation that his ribs were bruised rather than broken while the ache in his head was, in fact, a mild concussion. Maka had forced herself to be quiet the entire time, to hold his hand and hold him up when necessary. She answered the doctors if spoken to but other than that she was silent, staring at him with an intensity that he could barely stand, but it wasn't a place for this conversation.

By the time they got back to the car, Maka checked her phone, seeing nothing from her father and the clock shining 3:32 AM. She didn't ask where they were going and Soul didn't offer any direction so she started the drive back home, the conflicting hope that Spirit would be there and wouldn't be there tearing her in two. As she pulled into the driveway she wondered if she was even surprised: his spot was empty and the house was dark.

Maka was slow with him, easing him out of the seat, up the walkway and the stairs to the door. She fiddled with her own keys, a small sense of relief washing over her as Soul's hand came to the small of her back, at least some small part of normal coming back to them. There was no rational explanation for it but as they both entered, Maka locking the door behind them, called out, "Papa?"

When no answer came, as none was bound to, Maka finally put her face in her hands and let the sobs shake her entire body.

"Hey…" Soul tried to turn her around but she refused, so he settled on wrapping his arms around her waist, hugging her back to his chest as he rested his uninjured cheek against her hair. "Let it out."

Not the cliche _it's going to be OK_ or soft hushes, but encouragement to release, a strange sensation for Maka. She let a few more cries swell, choking them out without words. They were nothing more than hiccups, uneven breaths, when she finally pulled his hands away from her waist, holding onto one to lead him to the back of the house.

The kitchen was old, screaming of the 1960s, even the table and chairs in need of updating. She sat him down in one of the worn seats. "Coffee? It definitely won't taste good, but…"

"Sure." His fingers lingered in hers, making her stretch her hand away before letting go.

The coffee pot was filled as soon as it was empty, left on twenty-four-seven for Spirit's easy access, leaving the sludge inside nothing more than bitter caffeine. She poured two cups, pausing to go to file through a drawer, picking up a straw and plopping it in Soul's cup.

He chuckled at the pink swizzle in his mug, wincing after from the discomfort that feeling gave. "Thanks." Soul pulled the other chair close to him, forcing her to sit shoulder to shoulder with him.

Her hand inched on the table until they met his. He greedily grabbed up her hand, trying to twine those fingers together until she couldn't possibly let go. "I'm sorry."

"Don't say that."

"If I didn't make you worry, you'd-"

"Be at some terrible party." Soul squeezed a little tighter.

Maka took a heavy sip, her lips stretching into a line at the taste. "Is your Mom angry?"

"It's a Christmas miracle because I've yet to hear a word." Soul played with the straw, swirling the dark liquid in an attempt to cool it enough to slurp. "But I'll have to go back today, soon."

"I know," she murmured. Maka slumped, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

Regardless of the added discomfort, Soul leaned his cheek against her. "And if you're not busy I was hoping you'd drive me back."

Maka's fingers played with the buttons on his shirt, her eyes too easily focusing on the dried blood splattered there. Her lips began to tremble again and she tried to force that line, the words trapped behind her teeth.

"I just… I hate when you're not happy, and it was way too obvious. If coming home with me will help, I'll make it work." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting his fingers run along the velveteen fabric of the sleeve of her dress.

"I'm asking for too much," her voice was small, distant, and he almost didn't hear her.

"You're not asking," Soul corrected. "I am. Drive me home. Maybe my face will actually feel better enough tomorrow that I can kiss you. The whole three-hour drive I was thinking about that and, well, I'm still craving it."

Maka tilted her head and feathered her lips on his cheek, careful to avoid anything that was starting to look bruised. "Let me pack some things."

"Good." He brought his other hand to her cheek, smoothing out any more worry from her face. "Plan to stay as long as you want, OK? I don't care if you come down the stairs will a full suitcase."

A ghost of a smile drifted across her lips before she slipped out of his arms, making her way out of the kitchen and out of his sight.

Soul lurched forward, propping his head on his hand, face hovering just above his cup. He sipped at the straw, still a tad too hot and the flavor was comparable to hot acid, but he needed it. It was going to be a long night, or technically, morning. He glanced at the clock, seeing the numbers about to change to 4 AM. As he opened his phone he hit the camera option, switching to the front-facing in order to catch a look at the hell that must be his face.

Hell wasn't really a hyperbole. His left was definitely going to be a black eye, the bandage covering his stitches acting as an oversized white eyebrow. His lip was also split on the left, and he considered himself lucky that his teeth were still completely intact. There'd probably be a bruise right under it as well, but the lighting wasn't exactly accenting those fine features yet. All in all, not the worst face he'd ever brought home to his parents, but definitely one of the top ten.

He snapped a picture, sending it quickly to Wes with the perfect caption, "_Giving Mom & Dad more to talk about."_ With the hour being what it was, he was sure there wouldn't be an answer for at least a few hours and the silence after sending came as a relief. Now, all that was left was for Spirit to come home and give them one last knock-down-drag-out fight as a bon voyage.

But the house was silent. It was bugging him, the way he knew Spirit had said he'd be here when she got home, the way she'd burst into tears as soon as the emptiness of the house was verified. He knew her parents were divorced but didn't that mean more time for the kid when you didn't have a spouse to worry about? Instead, the house seemed emptier, as if both of her parents had left her just as they'd left each other.

It was despair, that's what it was, and he'd felt like this before, when Wes started leaving for summer camp, then boarding school, leaving him behind in the empty house with two people who probably couldn't be bothered to verify his existence. He'd only survived because Marina had fed him as much attention as she could, and eventually, when high school rolled around, he was able to cement himself with his friends.

But Maka just had this silent house. A father who was there when he wanted to be. A mother that was, for all he knew, about as solid as a figment of her imagination. Nothing, empty, despair, that was it. And she'd chosen to go back to it instead of encroaching on his space or even admitting that she needed to.

"Fuck," he grumbled to his coffee. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." The mantra of a man who was pissed at himself for not seeing it sooner. For not adopting Partner Soul the minute he entered into a partnership. He had to do better.

The coffee was drained by the time Maka came back down, an oversized duffle bag in her hand, the green dress swapped for a pair of jeans and a zipped up hoodie. "Do you want to change before we go?"

Soul looked down at himself, laughing weakly at the comic splatter of blood across the brand new suit that his mother would probably faint at the sight of now. "It's gross, but I kind of want to wait to shower, you know?"

"Just, no pit-stops for you then." She tried to laugh at her own joke but found herself pressed a hand to her mouth to stop a sob.

Soul managed to get himself up out of the chair without too much of a groan, "You ready?"

Maka leaned over the table, grabbing the cup and downing the black liquid like a shot, her face just as scrunched at the end. She went over to the fridge, a pad stuck to its surface, and scribbled hurriedly, underlining words that were too small for Soul to be able to focus on, the idea of reading making his head ache. She let the pen drop on its cord before turning back to him, taking his hand. "I'm ready."

It was an uneventful walk from the house, the walkway as quiet at the road, as deserted as the town seemed to be at this hour. Soul slid into the passenger seat and waited, hearing Maka rearranging things in the trunk. When she finally sat down next to him, finally taking her time to adjust the seat to her liking, the mirrors, everything, Soul let his eyes fall on her. "I have questions."

"It's a three-hour drive, I guess twenty questions can be the first car game." She offered him a weak smile before putting her eyes back on the road, starting the engine, and reversing out into the street.

Soul set the address in his phone, that happy computerized voice announcing a clear route and that they'd be there by 7 AM. As he fumbled through his bag for his power bank, his phone woefully low, he contemplated what was actually going to be his first question. Making her cry while driving was probably the worst plan, but if he knew Maka at all, he knew she could get through anything as long as she had a distraction, as long as she could plant her focus on something else.

This would be an experiment if driving was just that.

He plugged in his phone and turned the knob down on the radio, just a soft hum to take off the road noise. "When's the last time you talked to your mom?"

Maka's tongue ran over her top lip. "A phone call that lasted more than a minute? Probably three months."

"What about saw her, face to face?" He wanted to take her hand but these roads still required shifting so he would have to wait until the highway.

"My birthday last year." Maka sighed, the realization hitting her. "That's November last year."

"Wait, it was your birthday and you didn't say anything?" Another problem Partner Soul had to fix for shitty Soul.

"It wasn't a big deal, we were only dating a week at that point and…" She shrugged, another message that he didn't want to read from her body.

"Did you even celebrate this year?"

Maka shook her head.

"Fuck," Soul muttered.

"When's yours?"

"June 1st," he punctuated with a groan, "But we're not celebrating it, got it? This year we'll be even and next year-"

"Technically, celebrating this June 1st would still make us even, considering it would be next year's birthday," her voice was adopting a little of that playful chiming quality again.

"Don't give me technicalities," Soul grumbled back. He couldn't wait for the highway and found his hand traveling to her shoulder then to the back of her neck, caressing there. "You've lived with your dad the whole time?"

"We've been in that house my whole life. Mom moved to the West Coast as soon as the divorce was finalized. I see her mostly when she's on layover for work." Between the road and his hand, there wasn't much time for Maka's mind to dwell.

"Do you feel like you have to be alone?"

Maka shook her head softly, feeling his fingers graze her neck. "The question was: Do you prefer to be alone or do you feel like you have to be?"

"Sorry, I misquoted. Which one then?"

"Have to be," Maka murmured. "I hate being alone more than anything."

"I should have known."

Maka cleared her throat, the words trying to stick in her mouth. "I… I don't feel alone with you, and I guess that's why I always take up so much of your time."

"I'd prefer if you said that's why we spend so much time together. You don't take anything from me. That's what's actually the most infuriating part of all of this." He caressed the skin of her neck again, trailing that hand down her arm. "I've been the greedy one, but with the way you tell it, you're the burden."

"You're not a burden," Maka made a sour face.

"Holy shit, am I!" Soul laughed bitterly. "The Wes stuff from day one. Or try the fact that I can't do a thing right without almost fucking it up first."

"Soul," came with an exasperated sigh. Maka would have rolled her eyes if they didn't have to concentrate on the road.

"I know, I know, it's not a contest, but if we're measuring, you've got maybe one tally to your name while I've got the whole board filled." Soul could finally grab at her hand, intertwining their fingers. "You brought up your dad just that once, maybe a second time in passing. This is literally the first you've mentioned anything about the situation with your mom. We've got to make this more mutual, Maka."

"But if I…" _If I tell, you'll hate it, you'll get bored of it, and then I'll be alone again._ "It never changes, Soul, my family stuff, I mean. It's always been this way and I don't see it being any different."

"Same," he added a second harsh laugh. "But that doesn't mean you don't talk about it. You have to let stuff out, Maka, or we'll be right back here again and I really don't want another black eye."

"Soul," but she didn't have an answer beyond his name because the tears were threatening, driving or no. As if reading that, Soul dropped off, letting his hand do the talking, his thumb gently stroking over her knuckles as the clock ticked closer to 5 AM.


	12. Merry Christmas

Soul was barely cognizant by 6 AM but the buzzing in his lap jolted him back to something close to alert. Maka had stopped and was inside the convenience store in search of coffee that had a taste better than battery acid. He was tired, and he stank of blood and sweat, and God did he not want to answer the phone for Wes. With a long, withering sigh, he hit accept.

"What the hell happened?" And while the words could be rage-filled they were not, just exploding with concern.

"Uh," Soul reached for a story but found none, the wheels in his brain unable to turn. "Look, I got in a fight." He paused, waiting for the regular rush of disappointment from the other end, that instant barrage that his parents were so good at. Wes was simply silent, waiting on storytime. "It was just luck because when I got there, Maka was cornered by some guy. He was going to _hurt_ her, Wes. Really ended up hurting me instead. Not the best end result but way better than the other option. I'm sorry-"

"No, don't be sorry!" Wes was pleading over him. "Is Maka alright?"

"Yeah, she's with me, driving me back." Soul hesitated, unsure of how this next step worked since when was the last time he asked for brotherly advice? "Look, I… I don't think either of us is in the shape to just show up at the house. Do I take her to a hotel? Is that going to fuck with your day today?"

"You bring her here. I'm going to text you the address, get you a room." Wes already sounded busy in the background, the scribbling of a pen, the movement of paper. "And neither of you are going to consider our mess your first priority today."

"Wes, I want to be there." There was a level of pleading in his voice that he never thought was available to him.

"And you will be." And for the first time since childhood, Soul felt soothed by his brother's voice, the words instantly settling into him. "But your health and Maka's are more important."

"OK," Soul's voice wavered, a strange threat of tears overwhelming him.

The words continued to iron out Soul's concerns. "Change your course to the new address. We'll be here when you get here."

"Bye, Wes."

"Bye, little brother."

It wasn't a second before the message blinked on his screen, the new address there for him. He saw Maka paying and while he tried to will it away, a couple of tears did manage to come out of his eyes. By the time the door opened, he was gingerly trying to wipe at his left eye without inducing another wave of pain and nausea.

"I'm not even sure you should have another cup of coffee, Soul, but I…" She trailed off, her eyes narrowing at his face. "What happened?"

"No, just, it's fine." He grabbed both coffees from her, letting her get the rest of the way in and close the door against the frigid morning.

"Crying is fine?" Maka took one of the napkins from her pocket, carefully fussing over his face with it. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything? I can run back in for aspirin if you don't want to take the stuff the doctor gave you."

"No, really, it's fine, Maka." Regardless of the bodily misery it elicited, Soul leaned over, planting a soft kiss on her lips. _I guess I really have everything I need to soothe my pain._

* * *

Soul should have guessed, honestly. It never could just be some regular, run of the mill _Holiday Inn_, but this wasn't exactly what he would have pegged as a _Wes place_. If the weather had been worse that morning, Soul probably would have been struck with the haunted look of the house, one of those looming Victorians that started off any good horror flick. At first glance, it could probably be considered dull in its coloring, a range of greys and purple hues, but as Maka pulled the car up to the front, Soul couldn't help but feel like it was warming, welcoming with its unobtrusive nature.

Wes, the mother hen, was already out on the deck as soon as the car stopped, clunking down the stairs and opening the door for Soul before he could even manage it for himself. "It looks worse in person, I promise," Soul croaked as he leaned out of the car and onto his aching legs. Before he could even get all the way to his feet, Wes was holding him, hugging him again in a little more desperate way than when he had in the restaurant. Soul blamed the fresh watering of his eyes on the squeeze to his ribs. "Come on, my ribs are bruised, too."

"Sorry!" Wes pulled him away to finally examine Soul's unfortunate face. "You weren't kidding."

"Not this time."

Wes didn't have another word, rushing over to Maka. She had just paused from opening the trunk, allowing Wes to give another squeezing hug. "I'm so sorry, Wes, for doing this."

"No apologies, Maka, really," Wes waved her off, snatching the bags from the trunk before she even had the opportunity. "Come on, it's freezing out here." Elizabeth appeared, opening the door just as Wes got to the top of the stairs. She let a soft hand touch Soul's shoulder as he walked past her and ended up wrapping her arm around Maka's shoulder as they met.

"You're alright?" Elizabeth whispered softly to Maka, a comment only for her.

"Fine, thank you," it sounded generic, but Maka blamed it on the tiredness rather than the guarded feeling she was nursing from all of Soul's questions in the car.

Wes completely bypassed the front desk, nodding at the receptionist as he led the group towards the back of the house. The hallway was dotted with portraits, people from assorted families and times, adding to the disjointed homeliness of the spot. "Your suite's back here. During the summer it has a beautiful view of the garden, but right now it'll do. Elizabeth and I are staying upstairs, room five."

Soul found himself slowing down until he could feel Maka's fingers wrap around his. "Mom knows you're here?"

"Sort of," Wes shrugged before dropping the bags at the door marked two, taking a key from his pocket. "I never gave her the exact place, you know. It took a lot of convincing, but I told her you were here last night. That I'd forgotten about the party and offered to have you stay to spend time with me." The door opened to a room painted in soft blue, one of those ridiculously extravagant canopy beds taking up most of the immediate view.

"Thanks for covering."

"That's what brothers are for," Wes laughed jovially before picking up the bags again and moving them to the bed, leaving the key on the bedspread. Soul pulled Maka into the room as Elizabeth waited at the threshold of the door.

"Look, I'll get cleaned up and I'll come right over to Mom's OK?"

"No," Wes offered back firmly. "You'll both stay here today and the four of us will have breakfast in the morning to discuss the rest."

"But Mom'll fucking flip, Wes," Soul started back, but Wes put up a firm hand, a borrowed gesture from their father that didn't at all seem as awful when coming from Wes.

"Turn off your phone. Relax. Elizabeth and I will survive your absence and excuse it." Wes put the hand down, turning his attention to Maka. "Please make sure he relaxes."

"Hey," Soul griped.

"I'll try," Maka smile was back, already adding to the relief that Soul needed.

"Alright, we're off," Wes turned back to Elizabeth, taking her hand. "Again, I expect that you rest until tomorrow. 9 AM breakfast, understood?"

"Alright." Soul resisted the urge to move forward, to cling to his brother as if he were a kid again. He opted for his broken smile instead, giving a soft little wave.

Wes let Elizabeth pull him from the room, the door shutting quietly behind them.

Maka's breath broke the silence as if she had been holding it since they left her father's. Without a word she turned to him, starting to unbutton the morbid shirt. He offered no objections and no immediate help, just watching as her fingers worked. When the shirt was done, she helped him shrug out of it, the vest, and the jacket, throwing the mess to a corner of the floor. "You do the rest, I'll run the water." She didn't wait for an answer, just disappeared into the bathroom.

Soul sighed out, preparing himself for the stretch of getting off his t-shirt. It wasn't half as bad as he expected, just eliciting one piercing ache from his side as he stripped off the cloth. His shirt, along with his pants and underwear, fell on the dirty pile before he plodded in to follow Maka.

She was kneeling next to the tub, the water pooling as her fingers tested the temperature.

"I can take a shower," it was a weak offering and Maka's firm headshake negated it immediately.

"I think a bath would be better."

"So I can pass out and drown?" He quipped.

"That's why I'm staying here," she murmured, motioning him towards the water. "Get in, no more arguments."

Soul offered a short _hmph_ but nothing more. The water wasn't scalding, but enough to elicit the stereotypical intake of breath between his teeth. Easing in was glorious, and as he reached the full soak level he was definitely appreciative of her suggestion. "You win," he grumbled, sinking to his chin.

With a playful finger, she splashed a little water at him. "I know." She watched him passively, her fingertips still dangling and feeding off the heat. "Thank you."

"Hm?" He didn't mean to become so unfocused on her but between the water and his own exhaustion he was lost, drifting in a haze.

"Nothing," her soft smile kept him from questioning any further. Now wasn't the time to really bother Soul, watching him finally relax from the tightness he had held since the alleyway. He'd saved her in more ways than one today, and while she could thank him now, explain it to him, it didn't exactly feel like there was a rush to do so. Maybe for the first time, it felt like regardless of the mess, maybe he wasn't planning on leaving.

* * *

When Soul woke up the light was starting to dim, the room illuminated in a cool rose hue. The ache in his body was a little more steady now, like a hum from his face and side, and he contemplated the concept of those heavy painkillers for another moment before dashing it away. At the end of the day, he might be numbing more than just that, and honestly, he wanted to be as alert as he could for the fragile Maka that had finally emerged. Albeit, he was sure she'd already started to squirrel that part away again, yet another reason why he should have all of his wits about him.

He reached out a blind hand, expecting to come in contact with her body and when there was nothing, a panic so deep set in that he fumbled to get himself out of bed. Of course, this motion was much too breakneck for his body, sending his stomach lurching and head spinning. "Maka?" The frantic tone sounded booming in the room. No answer came and his hand stretched across the bedspread, trying to feel for a hint of warmth or sign she'd even been there.

That's when the pad on the nightstand finally caught his eye, covered in handwriting smooth and neat like her notes. _Ran out to get us food _with one ridiculously cute, small heart in the bottom left corner. Short, simple, to the point, and a fountain of relief. He collapsed back on the bed, reaching for the remote as his endorphins would keep him from any further sleep for now. The doctor may have said something about screens, but Soul ignored the thought and turned on drivel to fill his ears and the time.

It felt like an eternity. It was probably closer to fifteen minutes, and by the way Maka came back showering apologies it wasn't even supposed to be that long. "I thought I'd be back before you even woke up." She put some of the bags on the small table by the window, turning towards a large wall cupboard that opened to uncover a mini-fridge, since heaven forbid you ruin the aesthetic of the room with modern technology other than a TV. After she had unloaded a bag there she was back on the bed, her fingers seeming to examine every inch of him. "Do you still feel nauseous? Did you at least take some aspirin? Any new pain or-"

"I'm _fine_." He tried to grin as convincingly as his lip would allow before reaching up to sink his fingers in her hair, to bring her down to him.

"Your lip," she murmured.

"Be gentle, then," he whispered back.

She was, silky, airy, tempting before stealing it all away, making his hands fall uselessly from her. "Are you hungry? You should at least eat a little something and then an aspirin."

"What did you get?" His stomach had recovered from the panicked jostle of before and he could feel a little grumbling there.

Maka was starting to unpack containers, laying them out on the cramped table. "For tonight, Chinese. I also got some groceries, bread, peanut butter, milk, ice cream."

"Ice cream is a staple?" Soul laughed softly before starting the slow crawl to a seated position.

She forgot the food for a moment, coming to meet him at the edge of the bed, hands ready to steady him. "It's been a hard week, ice cream is a must."

Soul took her hands, regardless of how ridiculous and unnecessary the help felt, and let her bring him to his feet. Thankfully, all parts of him behaved and being on his feet felt fine, at least for now. She walked him to his seat and then settled in her own. They ate quietly, the din of the TV entertaining neither of them. Soul really couldn't focus on it, too preoccupied with trying to read her like a book in another language. He wished his brain didn't feel so clouded, his tongue so thick in his mouth or he would just try to force it all out of her.

"Soul…"

"Yeah?" He stopped pushing food around.

"Don't be angry."

"That's never a good way to start," the words rushed out of his lips without really a thought. They felt fragile right now, and that phrase never seemed to be a good way to start a conversation.

Maka was fiddling with her sleeve, a small smile daring to pull at the corner of her mouth. "Look, I know we both decided nothing for Christmas, but I did kind of, well, I have something I was going to give you when we got back to school but since we're together now…"

The relief came out as a short laugh, his hand reaching across the table to grab hers. "It's OK, I broke that one, too. You'll have to wait, though, unless…" Thinking back to his lucky streak, Soul stood up from the table, walking over to his bag that lay collapsed on the floor. He hadn't rummaged all the way through it, but sure enough, when he searched through a couple of compartments, the box was there. "Fucking Marina."

"What?" Maka tried to move to get a better view, to peer at what was in his hands.

"I'm not very creative, so I have one hiding spot, have since I was little. Marina, my nanny, she knows anything that's important goes in there and me being predictable hid your gift there." He turned the box over in his fingers before slowly getting back up, moving back to his chair.

"But why bother bringing it with you?" Maka blinked. "I was going to meet you at the house…"

"I was betting I wasn't going to make it that long without seeing you," Soul laughed but saw the way her eyes started to water. He wasn't ready for her hurt, he wanted her to just have a moment without thinking about last night being her fault. "Come on, let's clean up, then we'll switch."

Soul didn't get much of a chance, getting shooed back to the bed. Maka cleared the table quickly, putting leftovers away in the fridge before throwing her duffle bag onto the bed. "You'll just have to shut your eyes. I didn't get a chance to wrap it since I wasn't expecting to get to give it to you today."

He did as he was told and held out his hands, hearing the movement of fabric until he felt the weight in his hands. It was supple, heavy, and before he opened his eyes he was already sure she had outdone herself. His old leather jacket was a constant and at this point looked it, a little moth-eaten and threadbare. In his hands was a brand new one, the styling very similar but the color smokey charcoal. His fingers felt along the lining, warm and silky. "Wow," the most uncool response for the coolest gift.

Maka tried to hide a laugh, one of her hands slipping over his. "It's OK?"

Soul squeezed her hand. "It's perfect." He forgot his face for a moment, leaning in to capture her lips with a not-so-gentle intensity. Maka tried to press against his chest, to ease him into another light, feathery kiss, but her pressure was ignored. He kissed her until he felt the prick in his lip again, pulling away since he was sure no one really enjoyed bloody kisses.

"I think you need that aspirin." She freed herself from his hands, walking back over to one of the bags from the grocery, going about the step by step process of unpacking the safety layers of the aspirin container. When she finally got it open, she popped two pills out, bringing them and the container back to the bed. She handed him the pills, leaving the bottle on the nightstand before going back to the fridge for a bottle of water.

"You're wasting time when you could be opening your gift," he grumbled, reaching for her as soon as she was back on the bed. He took the water and swallowed the aspirin. "Thanks. And thanks for the gift, too." He nudged the box into her fingers.

Maka paused, rotating the plain silver box in her hands. She had been conflicted, hoping he would and hoping he wouldn't even after she'd bought her own gift. The attention, the thought he gave to her felt overwhelming in the absence of it from most of the other corners of her life, a terrifying but invigorating possibility. "Thank you."

"You didn't even open it," he murmured back. Soul let a hand climb up her arm, caressing to the back of her neck.

She looked at the box again before slowly pulling off the lid, holding her breath as if taking a dive. It was two delicate emerald teardrops settled in golden studs. She felt her eyes start to swim as she stared at them, slowly letting one of her fingers glide over the earrings to verify their existence, the reality of this moment.

"I know I've never really seen you wear jewelry but I thought…" His train of thought derailed at the hitch of her breath, the tears plopping into her lap as she looked down at the box. "Maka, I just wanted you to be happy today. Just not think about all of it for a little while."

"That's not what's making me cry," she whispered with a sniffle, clearing some of the tears on her cheeks and letting him pick up the rest. "I'm happy." She lifted her head to him, planting a soft kiss on his battered lips. Stitching wounds closed can be excruciating, as Soul had experienced not even a day ago, and now Maka was feeling it, the painful mend of a gaping maw that she thought would never close.

"Merry Christmas." His voice was soft against her lips, his hand still playing at the back of her neck.

"Merry Christmas," she echoed. Maka gentle closed the box, placing it on the nightstand before pushing her duffle bag back to the floor. She took his jacket from the bed, getting up to put it on the back of one of the chairs at the table. He waited patiently, sinking down in the bed as soon as she came back to it, his hands reaching out to tell her it was in her best interest to join him.

Maka laid her head on the pillow next to him, letting her hand rest on his chest. "I love it, Soul, everything about today, the gift, this. Thank you."

In a terrifying moment, _I love you_ almost tumbled from his lips, and maybe it was just the pain but all the nerves lit up in his body. It was just because she used that word, that the automatic reaction was to use it in turn. "I'm glad," he managed to croak out, but he pulled her in quickly for another kiss as if that would be enough to hide the range of emotion that was playing on his face and not simply add to it. Regardless of whether he wanted it to or not, Kilik's words echoed back into his head.

As she kissed him so gently that it was almost more painful, Soul was fighting a losing battle. _It's only been two months. It's too soon. Our families are insane. We're practically still just kids and what the fuck do we know about stuff like that. It's hormones. It's just college romance. It's not love._ The excuses had about as much force as her breath against his neck, useless against the anxious beat of his heart.


	13. Catherine

Maka was up early, bathed and ready by 7 AM with an excitement that could only be rivaled by small children on Christmas. Soul was very much on the other end of the spectrum, that hum of pain holding strong as he tried to get himself ready for the day. It didn't help that the gorgeous sun was out, drilling stakes into his eyeballs.

But when he finally stumbled back out of the bathroom at 8:15 AM, seeing Maka sitting at the table with two steaming cups of coffee and, even better, the earrings shining in her ears, most of the agitation and discontent melted away. "You seemed like you needed this," she motioned towards the cup.

"And this," he whispered before leaning over, feathering his lips against hers.

"Romantic," she cooed.

"I'll never do it again," he threw the empty threat as he sunk into his seat.

Her real laugh came in reply, that shining smile that she quickly hid behind the coffee cup.

He looked down at his and saw it tan rather than black and his smile rivaled hers. "Did you sneak these out of the kitchen?"

"No sneaking necessary," she shook her head. "And the breakfast spread looks delicious."

Soul washed a cooling breath over his mug before taking a tentative sip, "Did you see Lizzie or Wes?"

"Nope, but it seems like we're the only guests here."

"Probably." Soul wouldn't be surprised if it was only open for them in the first place. "Before we see them…"

Maka tried to hold on to her smile, tried not to hear the end of that sentence before he spoke it. It barely worked, but she found herself staying true.

Soul cleared his throat, taking another sip to buy himself time. He was being dangerous again, giving her power again, something he still couldn't stop the childish side of him from fighting. "Whatever happens today is your decision."

"What?" Her smile didn't feel faulty, not yet at least, but it was almost too hopeful.

"I don't want to leave you alone." He could feel the thoughts starting to ramble in his mouth. "I hate how I didn't even think about your feelings in the first place, what _you_ were going through and now I'm going to try my best to have that come first. So, if you want, come home with me today, or stay here, or I won't go at all and I'll stay here with you. It's what you want, OK?"

Maka felt the muscles in her stomach flutter, latching on to the hope in every word. "Soul, that's not fair." Her finger ran a ring around the lip of her mug. "We still have to think about Wes, about your parents-"

"No," Soul cut her off, his hand reflexively covering hers. "If it bothers them I'll work it out later, but right now, it's you I'm worried about."

"You're overcompensating." She squeezed his hand as he inhaled to speak, making him rethink it. "You don't have to prove anything to me, you know? I… you said mutual, right? Letting me call all the shots isn't mutual. We figure it out together. And I think that'll be easier when we talk to Wes and Lizzie this morning."

Soul huffed, tapping her hand against the table. "Mutual, right." Stomaching her rationalism was a stretch, and Soul found himself taking a few more frustrated breaths.

"Are you pouting?" Maka laughed.

"Is it time for breakfast yet?" Soul grumbled as he brought his coffee to his lips, savoring the warmth and the excuse not to talk.

Maka was fiddling with his fingers, "Wes seems like the early type. I think we could go."

"I'll text him just in case." He almost needed an excuse to look away from her, a delicate smile on her face so beautiful that he was losing it. Those stupid words were starting to creep back into his head. "_Going to breakfast a little early."_ There wasn't an immediate answer but Soul didn't need one. He wasn't sure he could be alone with that smile anymore. "Come on." He took one last swig of his coffee, watching as Maka did the same and ushered her out of the room with his hand in the usual spot.

Maka slowed him down, "Remember, we didn't decide anything about today yet."

"Yeah, yeah," Soul huffed out.

She tried to smile at him but he seemed more interested in watching his step down the hallway. It was only a moment before they reached the start of the savory smells, the clinking of plates and gentle voices. Maka's assumption had been correct, Lizzie and Wes being early risers and already toying with cups of coffee and whispering to each other as if it were a crowded room.

Soul cleared his throat before offering, "Morning."

"Good morning!" Wes contained himself and didn't come out of his seat, still giving Soul that beaming smile. "You're looking better this morning."

"If you say so." Soul laughed, knowing that it was definitely a lie on his brother's part. The bruise had deepened to a purple across his chin, accenting the split in his lip. The one around his eye matched in color but was finely accented by the glowing red of his eye. He'd opted not to put a new bandage over his eyebrow since the color only seemed to pop against the white backdrop.

"Well, at least you look relaxed." Wes waved for them to sit and both took their chairs, finding hot cups of coffee already in front of them.

"Mostly." Soul reached for Maka's hand under the table immediately, squeezing tightly. "Just wondering what happened yesterday."

"About your disappearance? Mother was furious, Father apathetic, Marina congratulatory." Wes grinned at the last on the list.

"Marina also sends her hopes that she'll see you today," Lizzie added on. "Your mother, of course, was sure you were playing dead to the family again."

Soul groaned, "As if everything revolves around her."

Wes took a sip from his coffee, an amused smile playing on his features. "You have to admit, you did make it look like you were playing nice."

He almost devolved into grumbles but Maka nudged his knee. "Did you two at least have a nice Christmas?" And he found her excitement contagious, warming him enough that he could keep a smile on his face.

"Catherine was very accommodating," Lizzie's tone verged on sarcasm.

"Catherine's my mother," Soul offered as a whispered aside, Maka nodding.

Wes attempted to save some of his mother's reputation, "I don't know, Mother appreciated your French."

"Yes, she said I spoke it very well for someone who learned it on the streets." Maka blinked at the harshness but Lizzie seemed to laugh it off with delight.

"Then you told them?" Soul looked between the two of them, watching as Lizzie seemed to defer to her future husband.

"I told Father," Wes offered. "Who was supposed to dampen the blow when we tell Mother today."

"Smart." The dread made him pause, looking down at his coffee cup. "So, we'll go with you guys today, then. Maybe my face will keep Mom busy."

"Soul, that's not really necessary, I know I asked you to come, but-"

"No but. You asked me to come, I'm coming." Soul looked tentatively at Maka, her eyes lingering over his face. "And if you don't think it'll cause too much trouble, Maka might come, too."

Wes carefully seemed to arrange his words in his mind before letting them tumble slowly from his mouth. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here?"

"I'll be fine." Maka's smile hadn't diminished since this morning and Soul was sure her face had to hurt at this point.

"I promise the boys exaggerate their mother," Lizzie tried to wave off the worry, but both Soul and Wes gave a little roll of their eyes. With something close to the plan settled, Lizzie spent the rest of breakfast talking strategy with Maka, which both men seemed to stare off into space, each lost in their own worries.

* * *

Soul parked the car in the garage, turned off the engine, and sat white-knuckled at the steering wheel. Maka waited for him to finally exhale before she put a soft hand on his knee. "I want you to promise me something."

His eyes slowly came to her without a word. He still couldn't relax his fingers.

"No matter what anyone says to me today, you keep your cool."

"Oh, no fucking way," Soul threw his hands up in agitation, only letting them settle across his chest.

She still smiled in the face of his attitude, "You can yell and curse about it when we get back to the hotel, but you let it go for right now."

"No way," he repeated each word with emphasis as if she hadn't heard him the first time.

"Soul…" She moved both hands to his face, pulling him in to try to use a kiss to quell the rage. "Nothing they say today is going to hurt me. I'm with you."

"Fuck," he grumbled, before stealing a few more lingering kisses, trying to make everything else melt away. "I'll need a pass tonight, to yell."

"Free pass for an hour." She rested her forehead against his. "Do you promise?"

"I'll try," he groaned. "I'll try so hard I'll probably have a stroke, but I'll fucking try." Soul stayed like that, face so close to hers that it felt like she was stealing his air, leaving him breathlessly carrying this ache in his chest that wouldn't let up.

Maka finally let her fingers slip from his cheeks and turned to her door, opening it and getting out of the car before he could even beg her to come back. Soul followed at half her pace, watching as she paused at the door for him, her hand outstretched. "Am I going to meet Marina today, too?"

"She's first." Soul could actually produce a smile for that. He dropped the keys on the ring before opening the back door of the garage, walking Maka hand in hand back to the servant's entrance. Opening the door offered a burst of hot air, the kitchen a welcome change from the chill of December. "Marina?"

There was still a bustle of people, far less than the night he left, but enough to cause him to still have to gaze around, seeing her standing thoughtfully in the pantry. When her eyes fell on him they stretched into saucer size, her hand coming to her mouth, "_Pobrecito_! Your face!" She was on him immediately, hands checking the bruising from every angle.

Soul's hand clasped to the back of his neck, a rough laugh leaving his mouth. "Just got in a fight, Marina. No big deal."

"A fight! You swore not another one after high school," Marina paused the long diatribe she had prepared for this situation as soon as her eyes fell on Maka. She was speechless for a moment, her eyes darting between the two of them before she forgot about Soul and transferred the entirety of her attention to Maka, gathering up her hands in her own. "But he brought you! It's wonderful, just wonderful."

"Thank you," Maka's smile blossomed as she found herself squeezing their connected hands. "It's so nice to meet you."

"Yes, and I see I was right, your gift." Marina detached one hand to delicately motion towards Maka's earlobe. "It's your eyes, so like your eyes."

Soul cleared his throat, trying to remind the present company that he actually existed. "And I assume you found your gift in there, too, Marina?"

"Yes, thank you." Marina finally seemed to forgive him for the face and let her eyes glow at him appreciatively. "I hope you made it up to her, with what you did to your face. The earrings are nice, but not _that_ nice." She didn't even let her teasing hit home before she jumped to attention, a hand covering a gasp on her lips. "Oh, Lord, your mother. She hasn't seen your face yet."

"Or Maka," Soul tried to remind of the other shocking event for today. "Or Wes and Lizzie's news."

But Marina was already past Soul's woes. "Maka, you come straight to the kitchen if anything happens, do you hear?"

Maka tried to curtail a laugh, "Yes, Marina." She leaned into Soul, taking a hold of his elbow and trying to smile in his sour face. "I think it'll be fine, though. Don't you?"

The grimace on his face tried to turn to a smile and got about halfway, a sick withering smile. "Can I run to the kitchen if anything happens?" Soul threw one last look at Marina.

"No," Marina laughed before putting a soft hand on both of their shoulders, pushing them towards the entranceway from the kitchen to the dining room.

"Well, to the wolves," Soul sighed.

"Be more melodramatic, Soul," Maka let herself laugh one more time before reining it in.

The family was arranged stiffly in the living room. Catherine's back was to them as she sat on the couch and Lewis, Soul's father, who was standing by the piano got the first look at his youngest son, the weak smile on his face wavering to just his lips pressed thinly together. Thankfully, that reaction didn't stir Catherine at all, that kind of look on her husband's face no longer perking her interest. It wasn't until Wes and Lizzie gave a cheerful hello that Catherine turned, her smile morphing into something closer to bared teeth.

"Soul Evans," Catherine started but stopped, her eyes falling on Maka.

Now, Soul would say that the sweetness of Maka's smile was truly able to melt any heart, to remove any foul mood, and for one beautiful moment, it seemed as if that was even true for Catherine. She seemed to mirror Maka's enthusiasm while her eyes darted up and down, categorizing every piece of her. "And who is this?"

Soul brought her the rest of the way forward, stopping short of the couch. The only option was to sit next to his mother, and did that just sound fucking awful. "This is Maka Albarn, my girlfriend."

"It's very nice to meet you," Maka snuck in.

"Maka," Catherine tried out the name, still looking over her every feature. "What a surprise."

"Yeah, I, uh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you she was coming. Kind of just _happened_," Soul offered weakly.

Catherine patted the couch next to her, ignoring any bridge Soul was trying to build. "Please, Maka, have a seat."

While Soul'd brain screamed _no no no_, Maka did exactly as requested. Maka took a moment to breathe and examine his parents. While no one would ever say she looked anything like her father, Soul and Wes seemed a complete world apart from their parents. Catherine's dark brunette hair was a stark contrast to her children, with dark eyes that Maka could barely guess at being deeper mahogany, maybe just a few shades darker than Wes. Lewis's blond hair had aged into the white of his sons' but his eyes were a sparkling blue, much removed from the rest of the family.

Catherine turned her attention back to Wes, her hands delicately folding back in her lap. "Now that we're all in attendance, I believe there's something that you were going to speak to us about."

Maka felt Soul's hand clench hers, leaving her wondering whether or not her knuckles would survive.

Wes cleared his throat, "Lizzie and I have decided to get married."

There was a clear pause and Maka watched dumbfounded as Catherine's demeanor didn't budge an inch, her face just the same as the moment before the announcement. Lewis, as promised, gave his best act of enthusiasm, "That's wonderful, son." He continued by walking over to his wife, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Isn't it, Catherine?"

She looked up at him cooly, her eyes blinking a few times. "I assume we'll have to have an engagement party. I suppose we'll just slightly alter the decorations for the New Year celebration since mostly everyone will be in attendance for that." Still without a congratulations from her lips, Catherine turned back to Lizzie. "And, please, dear, feel free to invite your family. I know it's short notice."

Lizzie started, the smile glowing on her face, "I'm sure my father and mother-"

"Excellent." Catherine's eyes moved back to Soul's face, a momentarily wash of distaste for his bruising the only thing to break through her features. "And I assume you'll actually make time for your brother."

"It's a little short notice, Mom," Soul started to snap but felt Maka's hand squeeze his. "But I'm Wes's best man, so I'm here to do whatever he needs."

Catherine's eyebrows raised, her mouth opening and shutting swiftly.

Soul relished the taste of shocking his mother speechless. _Being good is paying off._

"But, realistically, Soul will need to be back at school," Wes interjected.

"That's absurd, classes don't start until mid-January. There's absolutely no reason for him to go back to that hell house until the semester starts." Catherine recovered herself, her eyes innocently seeming to blink at her eldest son, challenging him for a better excuse.

"But he has a job he has to return to, and Maka's family-"

"Maka doesn't have to attend, does she?" Catherine shot a strained smile in Maka's direction. "No offense meant, dear, but it's a family affair."

"Oh, no, it's fine, really," Maka tried to make the words clear, tried not to stutter in the face of Catherine's chilly blankness.

"Mother," Wes started but any admonishment from him didn't gain momentum.

Catherine leaned forward a little, making it easier to drill her eyes into Soul. "And what's this about working, Soul?"

Soul could have tried to edit himself, but his anger was starting to get the best of him, promise or no. "I'm playing in a piano bar."

His mother immediately clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes. "The way you waste your talent."

"I like it, the money's good," Soul shot back through clenched teeth.

"I honestly don't understand why you don't just use the account your father and I set up for you. You're not a better man for living like a poor one." Catherine's smile seemed to feed off of her son's seething anger.

As if it would help, Wes tried to interject again, "You should really hear him play, though, Mother. It's not a waste in any sense."

Catherine did nothing but offer a short laugh in return. Without anything else to berate her sons with, Catherine turned her attention to Lizzie, starting the endless conversation about the possibilities for the wedding. Maka had the distinctive feeling that Catherine was used to being the only voice in the room, one rarely challenged and always listened to. She could practically feel the anger coming off of Soul in waves and she tried her best to sneak smiles and gentle touches his way.

Maka excitedly caught sight of Marina as she came in to arrange drinks for the room. She leaned into Soul, whispering a quick _be right back_ before excusing herself to follow on Marina's heels. "Marina," Maka called softly, getting the older woman to slow to a stop.

"Maka, are you alright?"

Maka could almost laugh at herself, but with the intricacy of the house, there was no way she could even take a guess. "Could you show me to the restroom?"

Marina smiled and took Maka by the elbow, leading her down the hallway to a small restroom right outside of the kitchen. "If you need anything else, pop into the kitchen."

"Thank you, Marina." Maka disappeared behind the door. It wasn't so much that she had to use the restroom, but she really just needed a spot to breathe, to be away from the oppressive aura that was Catherine Evans. Soul hadn't been wrong, and honestly, Maka was thankful for the lack of attention she was getting from his mother since watching Lizzie get the brunt of it was agita-producing enough. Maka reminded herself that too long in the bathroom would probably send Soul into some kind of spiral, so she urged herself to wash her hands and examine her face and hair before opening the door again, preparing herself to rejoin the party.

What she was not prepared for was Catherine standing right outside the door, her face still indescribably blank. This was how she could actually tell they were mother and son, Soul often adopting this face instead of letting his emotions rage. Maybe they weren't that different. "Maka," she cooed softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, excuse me." Maka tried to walk by but Catherine's soft hand blocked the way, leading her attention back to Catherine's face.

"I'm just so surprised that you would come here, dear," Catherine brought her hand back without ever touching Maka, moving back to cross her arms low at her stomach, holding her elbows.

"I didn't mean to be an inconvenience. Soul just, well, when he came to see me…" Stuttering in front of her, Maka started to lose the capability to form thoughts, but it didn't seem to matter since Catherine already had a clear script in her head.

"I hope you realize how deeply incapable my son is at loving or caring for anyone." Each word hit Maka in the gut but seemed as easy to say as the ABCs to Catherine. "I can assure you that whatever you think is happening between the two of you is incorrect, and you should seriously reconsider having anything further to do with him."

"Oh." Maka was reeling, her mind shouting for the safety of the closed door behind her, but she forced herself to stand her ground, not receding in her steps but moving one forward, watching as Catherine seemed to flinch from the closeness. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Evans, but…" Maka took a deep, gulping breath, "I'm not sure you know your son very well."

Catherine recoiled from the sentence like a slap in the face. "Maka-"

"I'm sorry." Maka threw salt in the wound as she cut her off, refusing to let that hand come forward again and keep her in that space. The first few steps were almost a run, but by the time she was almost to the living room, Maka had been able to force herself to a slow gate. _Your face, make sure your face is alright and doesn't say a thing._ She had to say the words a few times with a few breaths before she was sure she could enter the room. Even with her placid demeanor, she saw the apprehension lingering on Soul who had taken to almost pacing the room the minute his mother hand left it.

Without trying to make it too obvious, Soul moved to her, "You alright?"

"Fine." Maka still felt tight, controlled, but a small speck of elation was starting in the pit of her stomach. She had dared to talk back to Catherine Evans.


	14. Old Wounds & Apologies

Looks like this is the dominant fic in my brain right now. Hope you enjoy. Special thanks to Michiamotippete whose reviews sustain me.

* * *

Without even knowing it, Soul had made his mother a liar as soon as they got back to the hotel. He had laid her down on the bed, undressed her slowly, and touched her tenderly without a hint of want for himself. It wasn't hunger but the desire to soothe, to bring some kind of joy to a lackluster, stressful day and she could feel it in every touch. It was with that in her mind and as his mouth stole away the last few breathy sounds of her climax that she started to undress him with the intention of jumping that final hurdle, letting him have her.

When she finally asked breathlessly if he had a condom, the moment came to an abrupt halt. You would have guessed that she had asked if he was ready to jump off the building now, a strange mix of apprehension and withering control. Next came excuses and subtle redirection, leaving Maka dumbfounded that she'd just been told, in the gentlest sense, no.

To add to the strangeness, he seemed disjointed after that and while normally he was swift to his own end his mind seemed too preoccupied. Maka had to apply just about every trick in the book before he seemed to give in to his own little moment of joy. If it hadn't been for the first part of the evening, she'd be sure that they were somewhere on the road to splitting.

So they laid there quietly, still mostly naked but covered in the downy quilt of the bedspread, Maka examining Soul as he watched out of the window, too many thoughts occupying his mind. _Mutual_, Maka started repeating in her brain like a mantra. "I'll give you one of my thoughts if you give me one of yours."

Soul blinked as if coming back from hypnosis before turning his head to her. "What kind of thoughts?"

"You won't know until I say mine, I guess." Her hand fished under the blankets to run up his stomach to his chest.

He didn't pull her closer, didn't run his hand over hers, just laid there, eyes slowly focusing on her in the low light of the room. "OK."

"I was late coming back with food the other morning because I talked to my mom." Those words were barely a struggle, but she knew the worst was yet to come. "She called because my dad told her to because I ran off. She said I was being irresponsible, and 'didn't I realize how hurtful it was to leave my father alone during the holidays?'" She blew air between her lips to quell the urge to cry. "It's amazing that the two of them can become a united front only in order to parent me _wrong_. I don't think she could be more ironic if she tried."

"Fucking ridiculous." Soul rolled over to face her, finally reaching and pulling her against his body. "Did she even have an excuse for not seeing you?"

"I didn't let her get that far," Maka couldn't stop the weak laugh from her lips. "Regardless of how much I had wanted to talk to her, I hung up on her after that."

She could see him thawing out a little, that strange chill that came over him when he was too tangled in thoughts finally dissipating. "Did you talk to your dad, too?"

"Through text only." Maka started to draw a line on his chest with her finger. "I would say furious is an understatement when it comes to his current feelings, but I'm leaving him that way. I think I…" she took a deep breath, tilting her head on the pillow to look into his eyes. "If he's angry about me not being alone then let him."

His hands moved from holding her tightly to her face, her hair, clearing and soothing again. "You sure you're OK with all of that?"

"No," Maka's laugh was unsteady again. "But I think I can get there. With time. With this."

"Good." He kissed her forehead, leaving his lips lingering there, eyes focused beyond her.

"Your turn," she murmured.

Soul pressed his lips there again before tilting her head so that the words tumbled over her hair. "I need you to listen to the whole thing, OK? Don't jump to any conclusions until I'm done."

Maka's fingers slid to his back, bringing herself close enough to feel her heartbeat next to his. "I'll try."

It was a quiet battle, Soul's throat bobbing against her forehead as he tried hard to produce the right words. "I know, well, you've heard Black Star complain about how I used to be the King of Hookups. And I won't say he's wrong, I used to pick up girls and let them go on a regular basis. But I did that because… fuck." One of his hands came up to her hair, smoothing through it, his fingers desperate to comfort because he felt like every word from his mouth was hurting her.

"I did that because I never wanted anyone close to me. I needed to stay alone, just like you said." Soul cleared his throat, again running his fingers through her golden tresses. "But I never, I only let things get so far with any of those girls, I never, ever…" He trailed off, half-suffocated by embarrassment that he would even bother admitting this to her but he had to. He'd almost fucked things up tonight because he'd choked, absolutely lost it when she suggested that they do something that should be so natural. "I don't have _sex._"

"I don't care what other people say about it, but sex always seemed to be that final emotional thing, the one that cemented you to somebody and I _couldn't_. I didn't want to." Maka seemed to be pushing against him but he refused to change positions, couldn't bear to look into her eyes. "But you asking, Maka, that's different. I feel different, and I… I want it, I do, I don't want you to think I don't but you have to understand what it means to me. I don't want…" He groaned, his mouth no longer able to accommodate the words he wanted or thought he should use.

"Are you done?" she murmured against his chest.

"It depends. How mad are you right now?" He still refused to loosen his arms, keeping her cheek planted against his collarbone.

"Not mad."

Soul finally let her push her hands against his chest, bringing her head next to his on the pillow. "How upset then? Scale of one to ten?"

"Not upset," she let out a small laugh. The moments before she spoke again felt like an eternity to Soul, but the fact that her fingers were working through his hair, her eyes softly looking over his face at least kept his sanity intact. "Everyone has you wrong, Soul."

"What do you mean?"

"You play a very convincing part, making a good show of it all being either apathy or disinterest." She worked through his hair again, trying to allay the terror that was still shining in his eyes. "But, really, you're the most romantic out of all of us."

Soul groaned, barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes. "Don't tease me, Maka."

"I'm not," her laugh didn't help her case, but she couldn't stop it. "I don't even think you see it."

"I definitely don't," Soul sighed. "But you know it's not _you_, right? It's not a problem with you."

"Technically it is," but she smiled at him, confusing him even more. "But it's a problem with me because you _want_ to but you're afraid to?"

"I'm not _afraid_," Soul bristled a little, his pride definitely still wounded. "You've just… if we're going to it means we're staying together, OK?"

Maka kept a laugh from tumbling from her lips by pressing them again Soul's, feeling his reply with an unexpected need. "I thought that was the plan, Soul."

"I mean that we have to feel a certain way about each other." He was floundering again, and a part of him was screaming just to say it, to give it to her and let her have everything, all of it.

She watched him struggle, her smile not wavering. "We're staying together, we care about each other. It'll be alright."

"You swear?" he was breathless.

"I do." That moment was adorably burned into her memory, the way Soul seemed so desperate for her when he should already know that he had Maka completely.

* * *

Soul was sitting on the phone, trying to reason with Liz that it was imperative to speak to Kid, the elusive manager of _Reapers_. He had settled on taking the rest of the week and he was still waiting to tell Maka that maybe he should spend part of that time taking her home, helping her to avoid the horrors that would be the New Year's party. But then again, it had to be _mutual_, so it wasn't about telling her, it would be talking with her.

Maka was lounging on the bed, a battered copy of _Northanger Abbey_ open in front of her. There was a soft knock on the door and she shut her book, stumbling off the bed. She heard Soul snicker at the gracefulness, something she swore to avenge later, and moved to the door, opening it to find Lizzie. "Hey!"

"Hello," Lizzie peeked a little into the room. "Hope this isn't a bad time."

"No, it's fine, just reading." Maka still didn't bring her any further in, hoping to lessen the disruption on Soul's phone call. "Soul's on the phone trying to get off work."

"So you two decided to stay?" Lizzie was much better than Wes at checking the hopefulness in her voice.

"I think so," Maka smiled.

"Then it's good I stopped by. I wanted you to come out shopping with me since I'm woefully unprepared for New Year's." Lizzie sighed as she took out her phone, scrolling through messages on the screen. "Catherine's very particular about what's acceptable dress and while she's more than happy to outfit the boys, it leaves you and me on our own."

"Lizzie, I'm pretty sure I'm not invited, remember?" Maka tried to laugh in amusement at it but part of it still stung, how Catherine had so nicely cut her.

"Oh, yes, a _family affair_," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "I hope you didn't buy that for a second. She dislikes things she can't control and you, Maka, are at the top of that list. Or at least I hope."

Maka gave it a moment's thought, softly humming. "I think Soul's the top of that list."

"You're a close second, then," Lizzie chimed back. "You'll come?"

"I don't see why not…" Maka turned back to still hear Soul grumbling over the phone. "Just give me five minutes? I'll meet you downstairs."

"Of course. See you in a few." Lizzie waved, bowing out of the doorway and starting down the hall.

Maka closed the door slowly and quietly, seeing Soul eyeing her suspiciously but his phone was still pressed to his ear. "Kid, finally," he sighed. "Look, I'm going to have to stay the weekend, too. I know, it's an inconvenience… I get that… Oh, I know… Yeah, bye." Soul barely stopped himself from slamming his phone to the table. "I apparently owe Kid my firstborn, but I'm out of work until next weekend."

"Well, firstborn is usually the one you mess up, right?" Maka shrugged and came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Soul laughed, running his fingers along her arm. "What did Lizzie want?"

"We're going shopping!" Maka added a squeeze for excitement.

"Please say that I'm not included in this," Soul sighed, eyes turning to hers to plead.

Maka relaxed her hold, stealing a kiss before standing up straight. "You're safe, but I'm going to leave now. Is that OK?"

His hand reached for hers, intertwining their fingers. "As long as you swear you'll have at least a little fun."

"I think Lizzie and I can manage." Maka swung their hands. "Maybe you should do something with Wes."

The suggestion hit Soul harder than he thought it would and he found himself trying to churn through ideas. "I'll think about it."

"Good." Maka let her hand drift from his and started the process of getting her winter coat and gear on.

He cleared his throat, suddenly behind her and smoothing out the shoulders of her coat. "I, uh, is it too sappy to say I'll be thinking about you?"

"Yes," Maka teased, turning just in time for his arms to snap to her waist, pulling her closer.

Soul stole a hungry kiss, biting at her lower lip. "Well, I'm a fucking romantic, right?"

"Right," she laughed, playing tug of war with him for space. "Soul, I have to go."

"Have fun," he murmured before one more kiss. Soul finally allowed her to detach, watching with his hands jammed in his pockets as she shut the door behind her. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, concentrating on the floor as he let the words spring from his lips, "I really do fucking love you."

* * *

Shopping can be one of the most exhausting activities, especially when you are neither good at it nor do it often. Maka fell into both categories, her only shopping excursions with Tsubaki and her favorite pastime could never possibly ever be trying on clothes. Lizzie's company had been refreshing with only a hint of overwhelming. It was simply Lizzie trying to find out everything she could about her new family, but honestly, all Maka had to offer was stories of the two of them.

Maka tried to steer the conversation to Wes, fleshing out the details of the real first meeting, not the quick summation that came up at dinner. A romantic night in Paris with music, wine, dancing, and ultimately going home together. Maka couldn't help but blush, wondering if that kind of reckless abandon would ever be for her. Probably not, since Soul had been the closest to toeing that line and now they were… comfortable.

The real test was not conversation, though, but the epic search for dresses. Catherine had insisted on cool winter palette, a set of words that Maka had little to no understanding of, and Lizzie was quick to push her into an array of blues, from powder to navy. It seemed like everything Maka put on was acceptable to herself, eliciting different levels of gushing from Lizzie, and of course, endorsed by the terrifyingly hip sales girl that was accompanying them through the lineup of dresses.

The last one was indigo, the lines simple and figure-hugging with a three-quarter sleeve. The fabric itself shimmered as it moved, not like sequins but a low-light opalescence that made it almost seem fluid on her body. As she moved to step towards the mirror, the dress opened, the slit daringly cut all the way to the middle of her thigh. Maka had to cover her mouth to keep in the smile. He always said how much he liked her legs.

"What do you think?" Maka tried her best to suppress the grin.

"The look on your face tells me we're done for the day," Lizzie laughed. "You think Soul will like it?"

"Too much." Maka touched at the bare part of her leg, for one small moment feeling dazzled by her own body. Then again, it seemed to be becoming harder to find fault in herself.

"What do you think of this?" Lizzie pulled her attention, showing off an elegant yet simple navy sheath gown.

"You like simple, don't you?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Maka instantly regretted it, the straightforwardness bordering on obnoxious to her ears.

Lizzie was unaffected, smiling as she ran a hand along her hip. "One of the few ways I don't compare to the other people you'll meet at that party, Maka. I'd prefer not to stand out, and if I must, I'd prefer my wit to be the thing to draw attention, not a dress."

Maka could breathe a sigh of relief, no social niceties broken. "I'm going to guess that's what Wes likes about you."

"One of the things," Lizzie gave a knowing wink before beginning to slip back out of the gown. Maka followed suit, hanging the beautiful blue fabric back up carefully before changing back into her own clothes. She heard Lizzie start but stop, pausing to wait for Maka to finish. "Please don't take anything Catherine says to heart. Especially not this week."

"I'm trying not to," Maka admitted. Lizzie moved past her, taking the dress with her own and handing it to the girl along with her card. "Oh, don't," Maka tried, but Lizzie waved her off.

"This week has been hard for you. You deserve a treat." Lizzie slipped her hand in the crux of Maka's elbow. "And Soul seems to be attempting a white knight kind of persona this week."

"That's just him all the time," Maka laughed, letting Lizzie lead her through the store to the cashier.

"He cares about you a lot then…" Lizzie offered and Maka could tell the implication, the reason the words hung in the air, the question that Lizzie was asking without asking.

"I love him." Maka found it surprisingly easy to say, and not a shocking statement in the least for the two of them. "It might seem… I don't know, quick, but I do."

"Love comes at its own pace," Lizzie shrugged. "Took Wes forever to admit it, too. Maybe it's genetic."

"Soul hasn't said it," Maka admitted. "But I think he dances around it, thinks it sometimes. I feel almost like I can see it on his face, but I try to tell myself that could just be wishful thinking."

Lizzie was finishing signing on the line, but pausing only to laugh as some of her own courting memories flashed over her mind. "Oh, that was Wes one hundred percent. He liked the '_I care for you'_ phrase for a while as if it didn't necessarily mean the same thing." Lizzie slipped her card back into her wallet before tossing it in her purse and picking up the garment bags. "But you've said it and he's still being an Evans?"

Maka laughed at the characterization as if it were some inherited trait. "No, almost, but I thought… he always seems so scared about his feelings I didn't want to press him, to make him come to that conclusion. I want him to say it when he figures it out, not just to echo me to keep me happy."

Lizzie smiled, grabbing at Maka's elbow again to start leading her back to the mall at large, the car as their job for the day was done. "For someone afraid it's too quick, you sure have a lot figured out."

"It's easy with Soul." But Maka couldn't put into words what it really was without sounding like a late-night lunatic. It was like their souls fit like he was the gentle music that lulled any of her troubles. Every time they were together it felt impossible to stay discordant, her life just slowly harmonizing with his. No, there was no way to say that without sounding mad, or at least, madly in love.

* * *

Soul only needed to look out the window for a few minutes before the idea clicked solidly in his head. After grabbing his jacket and a hat that barely fit over the mess of his hair, he made his way to the front desk to inquire about the rules related to his idea. When it found out it was all fair game, and where supplies were hidden throughout the inn, Soul went about hatching his plan.

On the opposite side of the backyard from the garden was an arrangement of chairs which was what had caught Soul's attention in the first place. What was keeping his attention now was the firepit in the middle of them, usually more welcome on fall nights but with the sun shining and the wind not anywhere near blistering today, Soul assumed a good fire could not only be managed but enjoyed. Even luckier for him, as soon as he had the first sparks catching, the kindling starting to burn, he heard the soft footsteps behind him.

Wes was hugging his jacket to him, looking between the fire and his brother. "I'll assume you asked."

"I was a good boy," Soul shrugged before depositing himself into one of the seats. He was hoping he'd made a good choice, the heat still underwhelming.

Wes tentatively sat in the chair next to his brother, leaning forward to catch the start of the warmth. "So, I assume that Maka went with Lizzie."

"She did." Soul leaned over the arm of the chair away from his brother to rummage through the bag he had brought.

"I assume that also means Maka is going to attend the New Year's Eve extravaganza that Mother has planned." The more moments they had like this, the candid sitting and talking, the more Wes seemed to come clean of his showman cheer.

Soul waited to answer as he pulled the bottle from the bag, handing it over to Wes before bringing out two heavy plastic cups. "I think she is. Not that I really pushed for it." Soul nodded at the bottle and Wes obliged him by opening it, pouring about two inches in each cup before setting the bottle between them.

"Did Mother say something to her the last time? Besides the regular antics, that is." Soul handed Wes the cup and he took it happily, sticking his nose to take a whiff of the oak and spice.

"I know she did, but Maka hasn't said a word about it." Soul avoided the pouting that he knew was coming by taking a sip of the bourbon, letting it sting his tongue and throat.

"And she's liable to continue," Wes added with a sigh. "Honestly, I should have told you just to stay with her, not even bother to come."

"Oh, no," Soul shook his head. "I'm going to go ahead and say I'd rather be with Mom than her dad."

Wes let that statement mellow, feeling the heat from the drink and finally the heat from the fire as the flames began to lick at a decent height. Both men watched the flames, sipping slowly at the amber liquid, trying to fit into the silence. Wes finally cleared his throat, "I'm thankful you're giving me another chance, Soul."

Those words tore into him, ripping into the old hurts, the new hopes for himself, and made him feel unsettled. "I, uh, it's not a big deal, Wes."

"You don't have to lie, Soul." Wes tilted his cup, focusing on the liquid. "I know I hurt you."

Soul slid more bourbon across his tongue, hoping it would loosen or fix the words. "It wasn't really your fault, Wes."

"When you were young, very young, you used to follow me around, devoted, and I thought I'd have that love forever. Then something happened and I wasn't part of your world anymore. It almost seemed like nothing and nobody was." Wes let his eyes fall back on his brother. "I'm sorry for whatever it was."

_Not part of my world_. The idea resonated down to his core, making his heart skip a beat. "I told you, it wasn't really your fault." Soul felt his gut tighten, blaming it on the liquor but knowing it was because he was pulling apart an old, festering wound. "At first it was just the summer camps, but then boarding school, and I know it was Mom and Dad that made you go, but that first time, Wes… shit, I cried the whole day and by the time you left, all you could tell me was that I had to grow up. I wasn't a baby and I didn't need you. I know what you were doing, trying to get me to put my chin up, be strong, but I didn't know that then."

"So by the time you came back I made sure I didn't need you. I didn't need anyone. You were all doing bigger and better things anyway and all I did was tag along, bring you down." Soul took another gulp, blaming the watering in his eyes on the sting. "You were always better off without me anyway. I just… I didn't see it until then. I didn't see how alone I was going to be."

"Soul…"

"Oh, fuck it, Wes, really." Soul rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes. "I don't want an apology. I don't want you to feel like shit about some stupid thing you said to me when I was five. I just… I want us to be brothers, whatever that means for us now."

Wes silenced himself for a moment, his eyes still focused on the cup until he closed them to take another sip. "Alright, Soul."

Soul wiped his eyes one or two more times, feeling Wes reach out and gently pat his elbow. Without really thinking, Soul downed the rest of his drink, not considering the enjoyment of it before pouring more in his glass, making sure to top off Wes's. Wes tossed a few more logs on the fire, watching as it spat and sputtered. "So, uh, is Mom planning the wedding?" That didn't exactly seem like the best question to ask, but Soul wanted to drive away from his own emotional turmoil for a while.

"Well, yes, in the sense she's hired someone to plan it to her specifications," Wes shrugged. "Lizzie is, well… patient. But we're both afraid as soon as both mothers meet it will be a battle for supremacy."

"Seriously, why? You know this thing is going to cost them a ridiculous amount of money and most of the guests will be people you don't even know." Soul tried to balance his cup so he could count these atrocities on his fingers. "You'll wear an ugly suit in a color Mom will pick while Lizzie will have to wear some gigantic dress. Not to mention pictures and food that you'll get to look at but won't be able to eat since you're too busy greeting all the people you didn't invite."

Wes took a moment to chuckle, "You certainly have feelings about weddings."

"I've played a few," Soul let out a withering sigh. "And they're all the same."

"And ours will be, too," Wes let a laugh accompany his shrug this time. "I'll just wait for yours. See what a real wedding should be."

"Mine?" Soul squeaked. "That's ridiculous."

"I don't know, I feel like this time last year I would have said you with a girlfriend would be ridiculous. Especially one that you brought home to Mother." Wes's amused smile was curling over the side of his cup as he took a sip, ignoring the daggers Soul's eyes were shooting his way.

"Look, just because I brought her home, it doesn't mean… and we _just_ started dating, Wes, and you have no idea how much _that_ took to get to work and…" Soul forced himself into another drink, trying to ebb the flow of the nervous insanity coming from his mouth.

"I'm not saying she'll catch the bouquet," Wes wasn't really trying to soothe, his words still playful. "But Maka seems like a wonderful girl and maybe two, three years from now…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Soul grumbled before sending another wash of liquid down his throat.

"See, you're not saying no," Wes chimed.

Soul let out another doomed filled sigh, leaning back in the chair to keep the fire from lighting up his already red and steaming face. This definitely wasn't where he wanted his thoughts to go today. He was supposed to be getting those three little words out of his mind, not adding a whole other daydream. A daydream that was a million years away because there was no possible way he was even in love with her yet. Not at all, regardless of what he let slip in that room or almost let slip in bed. _No fucking way._

After an amusing enough silence, Wes continued, "I seem to remember you said it was over the moment you saw her. Love at first sight?"

"Wes," Soul groaned. "If you just want to hear it, I'll say it, I love her, but all that other stuff, cut it out. I love her, but it's driving me a little crazy at the moment, OK?"

"Driving you crazy?" Wes was taking every opportunity to fulfill his brotherly annoyance quota. "She seems quite taken with you so I'm unsure as to why being in love with her is an issue."

Soul huffed, clenching his free hand into his knee. "I, just, how do I say it to her without sounding ridiculous? All of this is crazy anyway. I've known her for _five months_. She'll laugh in my face, or worse, fucking run for the hills because I must be insane."

"That's always been your problem," Wes mused. "You overthink. Everything has to fit and be perfect and go exactly the way you imagine or the dissonance drives you insane."

"Why can't you just tell me I'm crazy like a normal person?" Soul stood up, playing with the fire in a sad attempt to derail this line of thought in his mind. It didn't help that he could feel Wes's smug smile shining behind his back, knowing everything like some sage who'd already foreseen Soul's whole emotional endeavor. None of this was possible and none of it was fair and all he wanted now was to be back in bed with this bourbon, drifting between sleep until Maka came back.

Instead, of course, Soul continued to sit there with his brother who was now at least refraining from nitpicking impossible details from Soul's life and stumbled back into wedding arrangements. Soul wasn't sure which one he liked less, but as the bottle slowly trickled from full to half, Soul began to not really care all that much. It wasn't until they were both plastered to their chairs that Lizzie and Maka finally figured out their location, Lizzie giving out a frustrated "There you are!" as the two of them walked towards the fire.

"This is cozy." Maka moved to walk past him to the chair on the other side but Soul pulled at her jacket, bringing her towards his lap. "Hey!"

"Come here," he grumbled, pulling again.

She continued to resist, getting her coat free of his clutches. "You are _very_ drunk," Maka laughed.

"That doesn't mean you can't come here," Soul's voice was still pouting, starting to feel overwhelmed just by looking at her.

Maka shook her head and pulled the chair closer to his, at least allowing him access to her hand or something at least a little more appropriate than lounging in his lap like she assumed he'd been going for.

Lizzie didn't bother to sit, hovering over Wes as she plucked the cup from his hands. "Have you two been drinking the whole day since we've been gone?"

"Not the whole day." Wes didn't attempt to fight back, allowing his fiance to take the rest of his drink. "Were you successful on your errand today?"

With a sigh, Lizzie took a sip and let her lips press together tightly as the liquid burned at her tongue. "Maka most definitely, and I managed as well."

Soul knew better than to ask Maka what she got and the devious gears in his head started to turn with the idea that maybe while she was sleeping tonight he could peek. "I'm sure you'll both look fine."

"You'll need a better word than fine the night of," Lizzie corrected, taking another half-hearted sip.

Maka leaned towards him and teased, "I'll give you a list of synonyms."

Lizzie was leaning close to Wes's ear and Soul just barely caught it, her soft whisper, "But, Wes, I really wish I could get your opinion on the dress."

Soul couldn't stop a snicker from breaking his lips as Wes was quick to get out of his chair. "I think the two of us are going to go in. Care to have dinner tonight, seven?"

"Sure," Soul smirked.

"See you later," Lizzie chimed as she began to pull Wes away, the man not needing much convincing after the sultry suggestion in his ear.

Maka, blissfully unaware, stood up, adding additional logs on the fire until the flame rose enough to clear the chill that was starting to drift in with the late afternoon. She felt his hands again, latching to her coat and trying to ease her in and this time she allowed it, letting herself fall into his lap. To her surprise, there was no groping, no searching hands that would run cold against her still-warm skin. Instead, he clung to her, burying his face in her jacket and hugging her as if it had been months rather than hours.

"What's gotten into you?" Maka tried to ease him back but he wouldn't budge, secured to her as if his life depended on it. "Soul?" And it hit her like a punch to the stomach that he was crying, silently without heaving breaths or hitching sobs, but a shaking cough of air against her coat. "What is it? Do you need me to get Wes? What's wrong?" She was desperately trying to get some kind of hold on him but the best she could do at this angle was smooth his hair, looking down anxiously at a face she couldn't see.

He only shook his head, leaving most of her questions unanswered as he gripped her.

Maka, left with nothing besides the knowledge of his drunkenness, continued to brush his hair back, offering soft words she repeated over and over until he was only resting against her, not pressed tightly. "Soul, look at me…"

Soul was slow to obey, half because he realized the wreck his face must be and also because he was entirely sure that looking her in the eyes now would only bring the tears back. He wasn't wrong, since when he finally met her gaze and she leaned in, planting delicate kisses along his lips, he couldn't stop another wave from crawling down his cheeks.

She cleared the tears from his face in between a few more kisses. "Is this what happens when you're drunk or did something happen?"

"A little of both," he sighed out, breath still hitching from a leftover sob.

"Why don't we go inside," Maka murmured. "We'll get warm in bed and you can tell me." Maka was almost sure she already knew, that he was unearthing all the graves he'd left at home, all the old feelings and thoughts that Soul had believed he'd left for dead.


	15. Three Little Words

Oh, boy, so much happening this update. Warning, sexual content ahead. Also, I apologize in advance for torturing you with the "will they say it" plot device.

* * *

This was becoming second nature, waking up to next to her as the delicate morning light started to glow across the bedspread and the aching knowledge that this would end was already starting to eat at him. In a few weeks, school would start again, he would go back to his apartment and her to her dorm, and they would have to go back to scheduling each other in their lives. Staying here forever seemed like a far superior alternative.

From the moment they woke up, he followed her around like a lost puppy, trying to soak up every last ounce of just being in her presence. Maka had definitely noticed this development but had refrained from bringing it to attention because, other than the way he'd not so subtly interrupt her reading, none of it was really a bother. It was simply him being better at asking for what he wanted, needed than she was.

Soul was blatantly waiting for her when she came out of the shower, sitting at the bed and staring hard at the door until she came through it. Maka was tousling her hair, her mouth curving into a smile at the positioning. "What is it?" she laughed.

"Don't get dressed," he murmured, hands reaching out for her.

"Oh," even with all that had happened, this still managed to bring a blush to her cheeks. "My hair's all wet." It was the weakest of protests and the fact that she moved her body into his hands negated it instantly.

"I don't care." He made quick work of removing her towel, tossing it to the floor, before tugging on the one in her hand and forcing it to join its mate. His firm hands on her hips guided her forward, pulling her to straddle him. He was usually full of little quips or murmurs at this part but he was decidedly quiet, not leaving time in between kisses for colloquy. It would have been worrisome if not for the longing she felt from him in each touch, the way he lingered over every part of her.

To Soul, his hands were nothing more than greedy, stealing away warmth and muted but still delightful sounds from her mouth. He had one breast in hand, his fingers pinching at its peak while the other breast was met with his lips, latching on with only the faintest graze of teeth. After he'd switched, insisting that both get the same treatment and attention, he clasped at the base of her thighs and pushed her to roll, moving Maka to her back.

"Take it off," Maka murmured, hands helping him to unbutton his pants.

Soul started with his shirt as she got his pants over his hips. Naked, Soul stood at the edge of the bed, his eyes looking over her before his voice finally seemed to snap back into place. "I bought condoms."

Maka willed herself not to laugh, the way he was instantly so intensely nervous, as if they hadn't discussed this at all. It was clear now why he hadn't been able to produce his usual chatter, his head probably so loud with all the screaming about this moment. "Give me one."

He nodded in reply, all other words shriveling up in his mouth before following her order and reaching into the nightstand drawer to take one out. He'd painfully examined and finally opened the box while she was in the shower, trying to talk himself into it and out of it at the same time. He handed her the package and with not an ounce of anxiety or second thought she ripped it open, taking out the condom. Maka beckoned him forward and he obeyed.

Soul braced himself with a breath as she gently rolled the latex over his tip, bringing it down his shaft. The air came out as a grunt and he ran his fingers along her shoulder, clearing her hair back. "I should have… Lay down, I'll just… because you should cum first, right?"

Maka did lay down but shook her head. She grabbed one of the extra pillows, slipping in the curve of her lower back and let her legs open. "Come here, Soul."

"Maka…"

She could tell he was revving up an argument, some kind of naysay, and she reached for him. "Don't think about it, come here."

Soul sighed, kneeling on the bed before moving between her legs, his hands planted at her sides. "Maka, I…" _I love you_ reverberated in his mind, but it still felt locked tight.

"Kiss me," she murmured.

At least that was a command that he could listen to, mouth hungry against hers as he freed a hand to search along her body, clutching at her breast. The rough touch made her moan and to his surprise she pressed against it, letting him pinch at her nipple again.

Her hand grasped him then, gliding his tip along her opening as Soul did everything he could not to buck his hips against the new sensation. She did that a few times, rubbing him against her before angling him to her opening, legs pinning him with nowhere to go but forward. "It's alright," she coaxed but didn't push, waiting for him. "Go slow."

He clenched both hands into the bed, bringing his hips forward as if the movement itself ached. It did, in beautiful, needing kind of way, his body telling him if he didn't do that again he would most certainly die. Even being buried in her felt barely close enough and he wondered what more was left to have, what else would fill that incessant need. He hovered over her, his eyes looking over every inch of her, lingering on where he was now sunken inside of her.

With his eyes there, she crept her fingers down her stomach, watching as he looked from them to her face, gauging the moment. "Keep going," she whispered just as her fingers reached her clit, applying a pressure that she knew well.

"Oh, fuck," Soul was sure he'd thought that but it spilled from his lips instead. He was sure he'd feel - what? - insecure when she started touching herself like this wasn't enough or he wasn't enough or fuck. But as he rocked in and out of her again, watching those fingers work he had to bite back a groan. He didn't care, not in the least, his sole motivation to feel her, to have her be overcome the way he was right now.

Neither of them was in the place to kiss, to tenderly enjoy, at this point overtaken by desire. Maka's fingers pressed into herself, speeding up as she felt another wave of ecstasy as he lost himself in her again. "Harder," the words had no strength behind them, a breathy whisper that Soul could barely obey. He thrust into her again and felt the climax start before he heard her, the groan starting as she seemed to grab at him with every part of her.

There wasn't any stopping and he rode out her soft cry until the shockwave hit him, starting from his tip and blazed down into his legs, freezing him buried inside her, a panting sigh escaping his lips as the last of his euphoria took him. "Maka…" He nuzzled his nose to hers, catching a kiss between ragged breaths. "I really… I swear, I just… I care so much… about you, and…"

"That meant a lot to me, too, Soul." Maka was lucky that he wasn't looking at her face, his eyes closed tightly against all of the thoughts in his head because she had to silently laugh, to let a huge smile break across her face. _It's genetic, it's an Evans thing._

* * *

Being the cruel and insensitive woman that she was, Maka refused to let Soul see her in the dress. She dressed in the bathroom and insisted on putting her jacket on immediately, covering the sight of any curves and trying her best to hide the slit most of all. It was devious, but she secretly enjoyed the reveal, the way he tried to best to remain composed but always lost it at the unveiling.

He was already dressed back in his charcoal grey suit which had amazingly been revived thanks to some expert dry cleaning, something that both agreed they would never tell his mother since she'd think the act was a crime in itself. Soul was obviously pouting, a forced grimace tight against his face as he grabbed at her jacket. "I think there's something about this in the Geneva Conventions."

She grabbed his hand playfully, leading him towards the door. "Take it up with the UN."

"Can't we just stay?" he groaned, giving full resistance to her pulling.

"Impossible. I already have the dress on. Wes is waiting downstairs. We're going." Maka punctuated each sentence with a tug until he finally gave in, stomping after her out the door and down the hallway.

"I'm going long enough to see the dress," he grumbled. "After that, I'm climbing the roof, or maybe Marina will spare me, sneak me out."

"You'd desert me like that?" She raised her eyebrows in mock shock.

"Every man for themselves when it comes to Catherine Evans," Soul answered back gravely, bracing himself as he knew that playful batting was coming his way. Maka didn't disappoint, nudging him until he apologized under his breath, a smile finally overtaking his face.

"Ah, the other love birds." Wes broke through their reverie.

Soul was glad Maka's attention was forward, already starting to chat with Wes, as the color rose on his cheeks. The more he held it off, the more it felt like an understatement. He hadn't been wrong; sex had been an act that welded shut the _what-ifs,_ but with it came this strange feeling of wanting to shout it from the rooftops, an elation that was far beyond anything he'd ever had to deal before. Of course, dealing with anything was never his specialty, so he found himself quiet and blushy, like a schoolgirl with a secret.

He let his hand fall to its designated spot on her lower back and he followed her out to the car that Wes had waiting, Lizzie already lounging inside. The ride was short and uneventful, the party quieter than usual in order to save up strength for the myriad of people they'd have to amuse during the evening. Lizzie explained that her parents would be there, information that Soul was sure had created a knot in Wes's stomach as well as his own. Catherine had tact and could play nice, but the question always fell on would she.

There wasn't any entering through the kitchen or sneaking for this occasion, Wes bringing them directly to the front and affording his brother no ability to hide. Maka had noticed a drastic difference in Soul as soon as they entered: that to replace the usual blank apathy Soul had somehow managed to keep an amused smirk on his lips. It definitely wasn't anything like his usual that broke to both sides of his cheeks, but a modest start that with the right joke or interesting anecdote had the possibility of growing. Seeing it made her own smile radiate and when their eyes met as he helped her out of the car, that overwhelmed blush came back to his cheeks.

Soul was holding his breath, not just for the entry but for what he could assume would be his only favorite part of the evening. He didn't get to take her coat, one of the doormen taking that pleasure away from him almost instantly, but his attention was still glued to her as he watched the slow reveal. The cut around her neck and back were demure, only a hint of skin there but as she turned to him, part of the dress seemed to stay put, a divide rising up her leg so dangerously to the point he thought he'd have a stroke before seeing the end.

He came close to her, knowing where he was but not letting that create even a moment's thought of propriety. The dress was like liquid under his fingers and he let one glide just along the separation, feeling both skin and fabric. "This is unfair."

"I think you've said that before." Maka had to bat his hand away as it came perilously close to lifting the dress. "Now you're being unfair."

"Me?" He pretended to nurse his hand which easily turned into holding out his elbow to her, letting her hand slip into the crux of his arm.

Maka used the elbow to pull him a little closer, turning her head so that her voice was only meant for his ear. "You shouldn't touch me like that when you can't do anything about it." Soul's knees felt alarmingly close to buckling and he was sure his face was about as red as his tie. To make matters worse, Maka was laughing, _giggling_ at him as her hand momentarily smoothed down his shirt. "Maybe later."

"Maka," he hissed. "Later, you're going to get-"

"Soul!" For now, it was a playful tone that overrode Soul's threat, a tittering call from Catherine.

Soul bristled, but Maka noticed the half-smile still remained. It was slow, but they moved together to where his parents stood, greeting each guest as they came in. "Mom," he offered as a greeting, getting kissed twice on the cheeks by her.

"I'm glad your face is looking better." Catherine's eyes still focused intently on her son.

He was flustered, unsure if that fell into a Catherine compliment or not. "Thanks, I-"

"There are so many people waiting to talk to you tonight," she ran over his words with amusement still saturating her voice, "Please, make sure you make the rounds. Don't hide in a corner." It was only then that Catherine let an eye flit over Maka. "Oh, hello, Maka."

"Hello, Mrs. Evans," every ounce of pleasantness oozed from Maka's voice.

Having spent his entire childhood avoiding the wrath of Catherine, Soul had become adept at reading the signs of an imminent comment. The little twitch above Catherine's eye told him it was time to move and he pulled Maka along, throwing a mundane goodbye over his shoulder and wondering if his father even noticed the absence of a hello.

"She actual said hi to me," Maka offered with a truncated laugh.

"Oh, yeah, you're practically best friends," Soul muttered. "If I know more than two people here tonight I'll be shocked. That woman…"

Maka allowed herself to be led around while he grumbled. The room was adorned as a winteresque scene, blue spruce bows and smaller potted trees dotted the room, each one sporting gossamer threads that sparkled like preserved snow. While she was too busy looking around, Soul had already waved down a waiter, putting a glass of champagne in her hand to bring her back to reality. "Thank you."

"Cheers," he clicked his glass to hers. His smile wasn't waning but she could see something else that he tried to hide from his face, an extra shift of his eye here and there. Soul was obviously watching the crowds a little too closely and she could simply blame it on the anxiety of so many people to please but there was something else to it. Maka couldn't help but think there was a spark of fury starting in him.

"So, anyone here you actually know?" Maka tried to follow his eyes around the room, tried to see some kind of pattern. The only common feature seemed to be luxury but there were a surprising number of people their own age there, milling around people who could be their parents, exchanging looks of boredom.

"Too many," Soul murmured back, running a hand through his hair. He did another look around before downing his champagne, depositing the glass on the tray of the next server to walk by.

Maka took a sip of hers, instantly realizing this was the kind you savored not swallowed back. "Anyone here you actually want to talk to?"

He grunted a reply, hand grabbing another glass from another tray before moving her forward. Soul did his duty, stopping at person after person, making small talk in that appealing fashion the Soul from the first day of Bio class had embodied. He was hard to keep up with, this suave social Soul, and Maka found herself suddenly too aware of how much of a mask he could put on. She hated it, loathed seeing him parading a false side of himself but all she could do was wear her own veil of interest.

It seemed like hours before they completed a circuit of the room, names and faces all blending into one as Maka worked on sipping her third champagne. She hadn't counted Soul's glasses, but she was fairly sure he had passed her mark a while ago, though he was still composed, sleek, with a little more apathy blended into his features. A strange churning started in her gut, worsened by the way Soul leaned into Wes when he saw him, whispering a question in Wes's ear.

Soul was purposeful in keeping the words from Maka's ears but he had attempted to make it look natural, innocuous. As soon as the words left Soul's lips and he pulled away, Wes shook his head, his mouth resting in a bitterly thin line. The combination of the whispering and reactions didn't settle Maka's stomach and she found herself leaning into him, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Just paranoid," he grumbled. He brought a hand to her cheek, caressing it softly. "Really, Maka, don't worry about it, OK?"

"We'll talk about it later," it was far from a question or a request.

Soul smile regardless of the order, giving her cheek one more rub of his thumb. "After I pay you back for the dress, yeah."

Maka grabbed his hand as it trailed from her face, carefully putting her champagne glass in his fingers. "I'll be right back, OK?"

"Don't get lost." There was a fight in his mind between being terrified and relieved she was going. She was keeping him safe in this room, but at the same time, he wasn't doing a great job of keeping his mask on tonight. Soul had maybe taken five or six steps from Wes before he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. For a second, he thought maybe Maka had lost her way, maybe needed him to guide her to whatever she wandered off for, but the hand was all wrong.

"Soul, right?"

Soul turned to the young woman, bobbed blond hair shaped perfectly around a heart-shaped face. "Right, but I don't think we've met." He took a firm step back, out of the reach of that hand that had so casual ran across his shoulder.

"Claire. Your father and my father play golf most Sundays…" Her smile was wide, bright, and telling him that she swore this was interesting information.

Soul tried to turn on his heels. "Nice to meet you, but-"

"Your mother said you'd be here tonight but she seemed to have forgotten to make good on the offer to introduce me. She said I just couldn't let you get away." That playful hand tried to come back to his shoulder and without a moment's consideration, he swatted it away, narrowly avoiding spilling what was left of Maka's champagne onto Claire.

Soul dropped the glass on the nearest surface, shaking his hand to get rid of the droplets. "And what else did Catherine tell you about me?"

Claire's amusement seemed was waning, her eyes playing over him as if to encourage herself again with the full picture. "That you're a good catch, that you shouldn't go to waste. Not in those words, of course, you know your mother, but…"

He had suspected it the moment he walked into the room. It wasn't until he asked Wes about whether or not the girls here were Lizzie's friends or his that an inkling became a full-blown truth. "Excuse me," squeezed through his teeth, all of the sincerity torn away from it. Soul dodged Claire, his mind far past her, far past keeping his cool and waiting for Maka, and on to singling out his mother.

Catherine was on the opposite side of the room, now both clearly in his sights and his path. There wasn't time for her to smile at him, to play cool, calm Catherine because she did in some ways know her son and knew at this point he was beyond the point of reasoning, his face only a few shades lighter than his eyes from the rage. "Soul…"

"Hallway, now," he hissed.

"Don't make a scene," she whispered back.

Soul grasped for her elbow, careful to be firm without being vicious. "I'm trying. In the hallway, now."

"Honestly." Catherine wrenched her arm from him, not allowing herself to be herded by her own son. She walked slowly and deliberately to the hallway, the steady din of the party hitting them in surround sound.

"How dare you." All of him wanted to shout, to scream at the top of his lungs and ruin her in front of all her debutant friends, but this was Wes's night. He had to try to speak.

"Soul, honestly, I told you not to bring her here," Catherine's voice was reasonable as if each explanation was nothing more than the facts of life.

"Why, because this was supposed to be an opportunity to prance me around like some piece of meat for the daughters of dad's friends?" Soul was only allowing the words to hiss through his teeth, keeping the volume at a level that he hoped wouldn't reach the crowd.

Catherine crossed her arms, eyes rolling in reply. "Why you have to frame it as some crass show, I'll never know, but tonight was supposed to be an opportunity for you to see the kind of women-"

"Fuck your opportunities, Mom." He couldn't scream and the urge to punctuate brought his fist harshly to the wall. "Do you realize how much it would have hurt her? What it would have done to her just to _think_ for a second that I was talking to another woman?"

"Her feelings aren't necessarily my concern, Soul, it's you who-"

"You better make them your concern," Soul spat back. "This is what I want, Mom, Maka is what I want and no bullshit party tricks are going to change that."

It shouldn't have surprised him, shouldn't have hurt him as much as it did, the flippant way that she rolled her eyes again, as if he was a toddler and having an outburst over naptime. "You have to realize how she doesn't fit with us, Soul, that she's just not good enough."

"What?" His fist connected again and he knocked it two more times before he could even bring himself to speak again. "You know jackshit about her, and if you did you'd realize that she's better than any of us. For fuck's sake, Mom, half the time I wonder how she even figures I'm good enough for _her_."

Catherine's eyes were darting behind him. "Soul-"

"No, I don't give a shit if I'm causing a scene!" Regardless of the progress he'd made, Soul felt the temptation of losing his temper tugging him in, his voice rising. "This relationship I have with Wes? She started it. And she's never once judged me or doubted me, she's only-"

"Soul!" Catherine attempted to walk past him, to cut the conversation where it was, but he grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back towards him.

"Mom, I love her!" It was a smooth yell, the words coming from his mouth without a hitch. It was so simple until the tunnel vision he'd had screaming at his mother ebbed away, the way he'd turned to grab her bringing the rest of the hallway into his periphery, the rest of the hallway that contained Maka Albarn.

"Oh, fuck," Soul moaned. "Maka, please, wait."

But Maka was turning on her heels, rushing back down the hallway she came from. It wasn't possible to duck back into the bathroom, but she had sworn she'd seen an office off to the right so she pushed herself as fast as the dress would let her go. Soul had deliberated for a moment, giving her the time to actually get in the room and make a full turn before he busted breathlessly through the doorway, slamming the door behind him.

She couldn't hold the smile back for a second longer, the bewildered look on his face only adding to the will for it to grow.

"Maka, please," he started again but her fingers reached up and silenced him. Maka closed the space between them, his back settling against the door as first her body and then her lips pressed against his. There was a complete disconnect in Soul's brain, the incongruity of the moment freezing him in place until she finally relinquished ownership of his mouth. "You're not… upset?"

"No," she laughed.

"But you ran…"

"Because I really doubted you'd let me do that in front of your mother," Maka teased. "Are you OK?"

"Ask me again in ten minutes when my heart's not about to jump out of my throat." He grasped her by the shoulders, giving her a light shake as a trembling laugh came from his mouth. "How much did you hear?"

"I turned the corner at 'for fuck's sake' and, in the future, don't give me _that_ much credit for you and Wes, I only listened." She smoothed his hair back but he was too on edge to really enjoy it, his eyes not even going half-lidded from the sensation. "Sometimes I think you exaggerate."

Soul took another shaky breath, his fingers pressing into her shoulders. "I meant what I said, Maka. I wasn't just screaming at her, I wasn't just trying to piss her off. I meant it, all of it." This should be the easiest part, the word already out in the air, drifting around them, but he stumbled, having to swallow as the muscles in his stomach flitted around. "I love you."

Pink came to her cheeks, "I love you." The hands on her shoulders glided up her neck to rest on her jaw and cheeks, bringing her lips back to his for a slow, trembling kiss. She waited for him to catch his breath, to come back to himself as he lingered.

"You're sure?" he murmured finally.

"Yes," she couldn't help but laugh, "And I care for you, and I feel a certain way about you."

"Maka," he groaned. "Don't tease me."

Maka drifted her lips over his again. "Sorry, I shouldn't. I know it was hard."

"It wasn't hard to decide," Soul rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "Just hard for me to spit it out. What else is new?" He let out a languishing sigh, "Still not a hundred percent sure why you bother putting up with me."

"Maybe I'll give you a list later when we don't have a party to get back to." Maka started to fix his face and hair, erasing the stray lipstick that he'd adopted after kissing her.

"You really want to go back?" Soul swallowed hard before bringing his eyes back to hers, hating to kill the amusement shining in those green orbs. "All those girls in there, Maka, they're not Lizzie's friends. Or Wes's. Or mine." He watched the recognition creep across her face, the smile on her lips faltering.

"So, Catherine… well, I knew she didn't like me, but…" Maka blew out a mouthful of air, her eyes threatening to swim with tears.

"Maka, don't." Soul pressed his forehead to hers, moving his hands from her face to wrap around her waist, pulling her tightly to him. "I told you what she thinks doesn't matter to me. Wes loves you. Lizzie loves you. I love you. That's the family that matters, OK?"

Her fingers played at his tie as she took deep breaths. "We still have to go back out."

Soul shook his head. "Don't _have_ to. If it's going to hurt you, we won't."

"You love me," she murmured.

"Just you. Only you." He pulled her closer, letting his lips fall to the nape of her neck. His voice came back as a whisper against her ear. "And you're the first. You have all of me and no one else in that room or any other room is going to change that."

"Kiss me, then we'll go back."

Part of him had wished she'd cave, let him take her back to the hotel, away from all of the prying eyes and expectations, but that was greedy, something Maka would never and could never be. He did as he was told, kissed her until she was breathless and smiling again, before leading her back out into the fray.


	16. Trust

I have a hundred essays to grade (that's not hyperbole) but still, I offer you this humble update.

* * *

How he was supposed to go back to life as normal was beyond him, still lost in a daze from the holidays. Dropping her off at home had been utterly heartbreaking, especially since once again Spirit was nowhere even after a screaming phone call had transpired before the drive even started. Hate wasn't a strong enough word for what Soul was starting to feel for that man, regardless of Maka's assurances. Soul almost refused to leave her there, but Maka finally got him to go after the promise he'd pick her up in two days.

Even school this semester seemed far from normal, with no Bio 101 to bring them together during the school day. The weekdays were spotty with visitations, especially since Maka had scheduled her classes late afternoons to evenings since she had, between all their visits there, picked up a part-time position during the day at the museum. Soul used this as an excuse to produce more music during the week, but while this was nicely padding his pocket it was leaving his heart empty.

The only pattern they both managed to keep was Fridays and Saturdays when Maka would bring whatever she needed to study to the bar, listening to Soul play while finishing whatever work was left for the week. After he would take her back to the house and more often than not talk her into staying for the night which never took much convincing besides the request. He cleared her out a drawer and by the first month of the semester it was filled, ready for her to stay just about every weekend.

And that was supposed to be the plan that Friday night, but as Maka entered she saw Soul sitting at his piano, a blond woman leaning against it as she seemed to close the distance between the two of them. Maka's swallow came to a shuddering stop and her hands clasped into the fabric of her skirt.

But Soul had been half watching for Maka just like he always did, and the moment she walked through the door he was excusing himself and barely making it away from the piano without touching that woman. "Hey." His kiss was slow, delicate as if he had seen the fragility on her face. "Look, I need you to come to the back with me for a second."

Maka took another look at the woman who was intently staring, playing with her braided hair. "OK…"

Soul slipped his hand to its spot and guided her past the bar. Maka waved at Patty and Liz who both had ears perked wide as they passed. All that behavior received from Soul was a grimace and a wave off just like he would buzzing flies. He got her into the storeroom, a cramped dank spot but the only option for quiet, furtive conversation. Soul sighed as soon as he shut the door, leaning his weight against it to stop any interruption. "Her name is Medusa."

She didn't need to play coy, to ask who. "Do you know her?" Regardless of what she was telling herself, the ache was starting as if she had already caught them doing something. It was irrational and completely idiotic to even _think_ that Soul was anything like that, but it was there, that little gnawing worry.

"By reputation." Soul reached out looking for her hand and Maka acquiesced. He tugged at her, bringing close enough that he could wrap his arms around her waist. "And it's not a good one. She's a maneater, for sure, and she doesn't know how to keep her hands to herself."

"Soul…" Maka hated how her lip was already starting to tremble, that idiot thought growing.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Maka. I know this isn't what you want to hear, really, and I know what's probably already starting in your mind but lying is only going to feed it, and I refuse to do that." Soul let his fingers glide along her back for a moment, waiting to see if he needed to move them to clear away tears. "But she also has enough clout in the business that putting my name on, producing some of her songs could mean something. Long story short, while my personal preference would be to tell her no, my business sense is telling me yes."

She got a handle on her lip with a deep breath, but the ache was still there, rational Partner Soul explanation or no. "And she wants you to work with her?"

Soul nodded, "Tonight, after work, because I'm not absolutely tired as it is." He took a few breaths' time to watch her face, looking for the struggle that he knew was there. "You have choices, and I'm not offering them because I don't think you trust me or because I don't trust myself. First, you can ask me to say no. I know that'll be your least favorite choice because it's money, it's business, and you'll feel guilty. Second option, I'll drop you off at the house and I'll come home to you as soon as I can. Final option, you can come with me. I've been meaning to show you the studio anyway."

Maka grimaced, digging her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, bundling it at his chest. "What if I just go home now and I'll see you tomorrow?" she offered.

"I don't like that option," Soul brought one of his hands from her back to her chin, lifting it to force her to look at him. "It might piss you off for me to say this, but I have to admit I don't trust you not to sit in the dorm and think about it the whole time."

It did aggravate her, but more so because it was a harsh truth she didn't really want to hear. It felt impossible that he'd know that, that she was so transparent. The level of trust was obvious in each choice, the first and last she didn't trust him at all, that she had to babysit him or force him to avoid temptation. The second choice was half credit, but what would she be like when he got home? "I don't know…"

Soul brought the hand from her chin to his chest, starting to untangle her fingers. "I don't want to distract you, but do you mind if I kiss you while you decide?" But he did, he wanted to take her mind off the choice for a second, to clear the slate and maybe let her see it without the overwhelming emotion.

Maka smirked, just falling short of a laugh before she leaned in, letting him play with her fingers while he explored her mouth. It wasn't some soft pecks, delicate and reserved, it was an ardent searching, trying to find some happiness tucked away and slowly succeeding.

When each finger finally lost its tenseness, Soul pulled back, his ruby eyes sparkling. "What's the call?"

"Second option."

"Alright, once the shift's over I'll take you over there, OK?" He moved his other hand to tuck the hair behind her ear. "And I'll try to be home early, but don't wait up if you don't have to."

She wondered if he knew how utterly ridiculous that suggestion was, the thought that she would even be able to sleep without him tonight ludicrous. "OK."

"I love you." Soul was always selective about when he said it, the words still feeling rusty from his lips, but every time he did say it there was a force behind it that Maka didn't think was possible. It was as if through sheer force of will he was drilling each word into her, to make it stick.

"I love you." Hers was always gracefully fell from her lips, smoothly soothing.

Soul wouldn't let her leave without another kiss, searching again for at least a little bit of bliss to leave her with.

* * *

Soul had dropped Maka off without issue, watching as Kilik let her in and ushered her into the bright and still noisy house. The recording, for the most part, had gone smoothly. Medusa's reputation was in no way wrong, and there was more than once he had to reiterate that keeping one's hands to themselves was a solid rule of the studio. But he had done it, his little name on a big track: that is if she bought it after mixing and post-production. He could only hope.

Unfortunately, it meant he was crawling in at 4 AM, a time way past Maka's bedtime and he was ninety percent sure she wouldn't be in bed but pacing a ditch into the floor of his room. None of the options he'd handed her had been one he wanted, but she'd ultimately picked the one he liked least of all. It meant she was alone, but Maka had chosen it and he, in his hopeful naivete, thought it meant that maybe, just maybe she trusted him.

As Soul rode up, he felt the concern twist in his stomach upon the realization that most of the lights in the living room were still on. Walking up to the door only intensified the feeling, the fact that he could hear conversation, borderline yelling even through the unopened window and door. As he turned the knob, the door uncharacteristically unlocked, Soul found himself holding his breath, waiting for a not so welcome surprise on the other end.

What he saw didn't seem to make any sense and he had to stand blinking until he released that full breath, giving his brain the prompting it needed. "What the fuck?"

Black Star was out cold, a line of drool slick down his face with a puddle started at the arm of the chair. Kilik was only in moderately better shape, half lying on the couch, a beer resting on his stomach. It had been girls he had heard, Maka in the middle of tipping back the rest of her beer with the enthusiastic coaching of the Kim.

Maka almost spilled the beer as she brought it from her lips, excitedly tossing her free arm up in the air. "Soul!"

"Are you… you're all drunk." Soul closed the door behind him, surveying the group again before walking around the couch to stand in front of that reaching hand.

"Yup," Kilik laughed, exaggerating the _p._ "Kim proposed _Deadwood:_ the drinking game. Drink every time someone says 'cocksucker.'"

"You should have alcohol poisoning," Soul muttered.

"We had to do something! Couldn't just let Maka pace a hole in the floor." Kim tried to kick at him and Soul grabbed her foot, pulling her almost off the couch, just enough to trap her on her back. "Soul, that was awful, leaving Maka here, all sad."

"So you got her drunk?" Soul felt a little bubble of annoyance until Maka's hand grabbed him.

"I'm tired," she murmured. Soul dropped Kim's foot and sighed heavily before he grabbed Maka, getting her just enough to her feet that he could sweep her off them. "Romantic," Maka crooned.

"Stop it, you." Regardless of his threatening, he was still grinning like a fool, carrying her around like a bride across the threshold. "All of you, go to bed!"

"Buzz-kill!" Kilik called.

"Party-pooper!" Kim groaned.

Thankfully, Maka didn't join in the cries, just circling her arms around his neck a little tighter. "How drunk are you?" Soul looked her over, noticing her eyes were still bright, just twinkly enough to tell him she wasn't that far gone.

"I drank water, too," Maka insisted. "And I don't like beer that much."

"You didn't seem to mind it just now," Soul grumbled. Negotiating through the doorway took finesse, Soul just narrowly missing ringing her head against the frame. He deposited her carefully on the bed before starting to undress down to his boxers.

He could hear her shuffling between the sheets behind his back. When her voice finally sounded it was muffled by the blankets. "How did tonight go?"

"I'd like to never work with her again." Soul tossed the last of his clothes in the hamper before sliding into the sheets. He honestly wanted a shower, but if he was being truthful, the feeling of wanting her in his arms trumped that. As if she could hear his thoughts, Maka tangled herself against him as soon as he laid himself back. "But the song seems promising. I'll have the finished product for her this week and, well, we'll see."

Maka was almost on top of him, her head resting on his chest as she tried to soak up all his warmth. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"I don't know what for." Soul slid both hands under the back of her shirt, always delighted by this part of the night when he got free rein to touch her.

"I don't want you to think I don't trust you…"

Soul snorted out a short laugh, "Not trusting me would be sniffing me when I got home or wanting to check me for love marks or something ridiculous like that."

"I'd never," Maka gripped at him. "But I… I worried."

He let out a _hmph_, fingers creating a pattern in the skin of her back. "Do you feel less worried now?"

Maka planted a soft kiss on his collarbone. "I know nothing happened."

"Then it's fine." Soul let one of his hands drift down, rolling down to grip where her panties met her thigh. "Like I've said and I'll always say, Maka, it's only you." He took a deep breath, letting his hand go with only one squeeze. "Now go ahead, go to sleep."

Maka didn't move, didn't acknowledge, and for a moment Soul was sure she'd actual preempted him by falling asleep without his blessing. Instead, she was waiting, rolling the thought over in her mind before letting it out. "What you did tonight… it meant a lot to me, Soul. I know I can be difficult with letting you see that side but it's like you knew without me having to tell you and I… I feel really lucky."

"I don't think I can take that much credit." But that was false modesty since the pride had already started to puff up his chest minutely. Partner Soul had done the right thing, almost to the letter, no backfiring, no yelling, no fighting, all of it coming to a settled end without the fury. "I know this was hard for you, too."

"It shouldn't be," she muttered.

"Maka," he groaned. "You're not going to keep me up all night berating yourself. Can you just see that we did a good thing? We supported each other. Tonight worked. We worked." She lifted her head and searched his eyes, her green orbs trying to take in the satisfaction on his face. "We're fine, so only good feelings now, OK? And sleep."

"Good feelings?" Maka questioned playfully, her mouth meeting his just long enough to nip at his bottom lip.

"You're drunk," he murmured, a feeble excuse that was slowly unraveling as her hand came up to play in his hair.

"And not tired yet," Maka sighed happily as his hand clutched at her bottom again.

"You're impossible." Soul pretended to grumble but his body was already settling into the ache, sleep and everything else set aside. Making her happy wasn't really a difficult choice.

* * *

For Soul, the reality of the differences of going from every moment of every day to just barely twice a week was staring him in the face. He had tried to talk himself into being a rational human, into accepting that both of them had busy lives and existences outside one another. But as she lay half-naked in his bed, her eyes just starting to drift away to sleep, he wasn't feeling extremely rational. "Hey, Maka."

"Hm?" Her eyelids slowly fluttered back open.

"I'm going to sound crazy…"

Maka stretched her arms out around the pillow, giving it a hug before bringing her elbows underneath her so she could lift herself. "How crazy?" Her fingers tapped underneath her lip.

He swallowed and took another second to examine the amusement on her face, to try to force that to make him feel steadier as he asked. "Have you thought about us, you know, living together?"

It was strange that it hadn't phased her and, in fact, that amusement seemed to spread. "Here?" Her voice was playful, sending him completely over his nervous edge.

"I don't know," he shot back automatically, this hand coming to cover his face. She gave him the moment he needed to take a breath. "I mean, here, or I know this place is insane at times so if you wanted us to get our own place I could understand. I don't know."

"Did you ask the others?" Maka hand snaked under his shirt, her fingers gliding up to his sternum.

Soul wasn't sure what was more unnerving, the way none of this seemed to affect her or the fact that the playfulness of her fingers had already set his body alight. Damn it, was he ever desperate. "I didn't." His hand planted over hers, stopping the sensation so he could concentrate. "I didn't want to jump the gun or anything… I thought you'd need to think it over first, that you might not even…"

Maka sighed softly, her head drifting back down to the pillow as if the matter were just about settled. "Why do you think I've been working?"

"What?" Anything else he had to say stuttered to a stop as he attempted to even think of answering that question.

"Spirit would have a conniption if I even suggested it, so I assumed he wouldn't want to really help me out anymore," Maka shrugged. "I've been pretty good at saving. By the summer I should have enough where we could figure something out."

Soul couldn't stop himself from rolling over, one strong arm pulling at her waist to bring her closer. "You're telling me you've been thinking about this since we got back?"

Maka relented, rolling to her side so he could press her comfortably against him. "Since you dropped me off at home." It was terrifying to be honest, to let that secret out, but the look on his face was her reward, that painfully wide grin breaking across his face.

"When were you going to let me in on the secret?" Soul was returning the favor from before, his hand under the back of her shirt, smoothing along the skin of her back.

"Before the summer." She closed her eyes, giving her the chance to focus on the feeling of his hand rather than the tears that were threatening. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to be alone this summer."

He tightened his grip on her until she hid her face against his neck. "Absolutely fucking not."

Maka snorted out a laugh. "That was a lot easier than I expected."

"Me, too," he pressed his lips to her hair. "I'll ask the group, see what they think, but, uh, the offer still stands that if you wanted we could, you know, just us."

Her fingers flexed against his skin. "Why are you still nervous?"

Soul blew out a breath across her hair. "Because I love you. Does that make sense?"

"No," Maka laughed.

"I think you moving in here would be great." Soul stalled for a second, collecting his thoughts as he placed another kiss on her head. "But there are three other people here, I don't know, to take some of your attention, your thoughts. If it was just us, the two of us, it's just me. What if… what if I'm not enough?"

"Soul…" She pulled away, tilting her head enough to meet his eyes. "We have to try, to find out, right? We have to move forward, even if it could hurt. But, honestly, I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"You say that now," Soul grumbled, "But wait until I leave my underwear on the floor one too many times or you catch me drinking straight out of the milk carton."

"Ew," her nose crinkled. "Do you?"

"No," he could finally offer a small laugh, "But you know what I mean, Maka. You could learn to hate me."

She shook her head firmly, her hand smoothing down his chest so she could get it out of the t-shirt. As soon as it was free she moved it to his hair, gliding her fingers through to watch the satisfying way his eyes closed with the pleasure of it. "Or love you more than I already do."

"OK, OK." Soul sighed, letting the words and her fingers reassure him. He was still worried, a panic that would be leftover even months after they moved in together, but it was done, she'd said yes and that had to be enough for now.

"So," she murmured as she leaned in, stealing a kiss before breathing the next few words over his lips. "By May I move out of the dorm and somewhere with you."

Besides _I love you_, those were the best words he'd heard all year.


	17. Just in Case

Short update since I took a break to write "A Promise" because I don't have a problem with finishing stories. I wish I could actually keep my brain on track. Enjoy.

* * *

"Are we planning a hit?" Kilik eased into his regular spot on the sofa, eyeing the other borderline serious faces in the room. Kim was trying to look bored, but he could see the keen focus on her face that told him a little anxiety was eating at her. Black Star was closer to a pouting child, arms crossed and sunken into the armchair.

"Soul said serious business talk," Kim frowned a little before glancing back at Soul's door. "Maka's not here though, so I don't know what that means."

"Maka, Maka, Maka," Black Star griped.

"You're turning a little green, there, buddy," Kilik laughed back. "Sure, he's a little obsessed, but the boy's in love for the first time. Let him have it."

"Seconded," Kim chirped. "And I actually don't mind her. I think if you actually talked to her, Black Star, you might actually like her."

Black Star firmly shook his head. "Impossible. I'm the only one who should be worshipped in this house and Soul has been seriously falling short thanks to that blond little vixen."

Soul finally ambled out of his room and Kim hushed them with a wave of her hand. He made it to the doorway, hands wringing in front of him. "Sorry about this, just… I know stuff has been changing and I want you all to know…"

"Did you knock her up or something?" Black Star barked.

"What?" Soul's laugh started off genuine and trickled into terrified. "We're not, definitely not. We're not even, it's not possible."

Kim always enjoyed a good Soul stutter and jumped into the conversation. "You mean you haven't even fucked her? Soul, seriously?"

"Of course we have!" Soul was suddenly incredibly happy that he'd asked Maka to stay out of this conversation altogether.

"Oh, man, he is in love," Kilik's voice was almost a cheer. "I can't believe you finally caved. That's big, man."

"For fuck's sake, Kilik," Soul growled.

All lights fired in Kim's brain, connecting the dots. "You mean that was your first?"

"No way," Black Star's jaw dropped to the floor, his hands flying up in the other direction. "What the fuck do you mean? You've been with like a million girls!"

"No!" Soul shot back before turning an angry glare at Kilik. "You weren't supposed to tell a soul that!"

"It's a safe space," Kim tried to help but the hysterical laughter accompanying it didn't do anything to calm the mood.

"Yeah, we love you, Soul, it's OK," Kilik's was only slightly more convincing, keeping himself in check with a smile.

"It's not OK!" Black Star bleated, "What about the blond from the coffee shop? Or that hot brunette from the tutoring center? Or-"

Soul was on top of him, crushing a hand into his mouth. "No way! And can we _please_ get back on the fucking topic."

"I don't think we got to the topic," Kim crooned.

Wasn't that exactly how every serious conversation in this house went? One of them started off in an agonizing panic that was easily dissipated by the ridiculous teasing, bringing them all back to the reality that while Kim had said it jokingly this was, in fact, a safe space. "Look, I know I bring Maka over here a lot."

Black Star grunted behind Soul's hand and he willfully pressed it harder.

"And you two are pretty serious," Kilik added, making sure Soul wouldn't get away without saying it.

"Yeah," Soul smiled in spite of the anxiety. "I… yeah, I love her."

Kim tried to rein in her squeal, only letting it hum in her throat. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Soul could finally laugh a little. "So, I was thinking I wanted to try the whole living together thing. I get that this place is already crowded as is and adding another person, well, I know we'd make it work. She's ready to pay her share and everything, too. Just… if it would work better, she and I could move out on our own." Soul shrugged, letting go of Black Star's mouth to see a frown appear.

"You want to leave?" Black Star's voice was a little softer, the over-the-top antics finally fading away.

"Yes and no," Soul put an arm around his friend, feeling the blue-haired boy resist just enough to maintain the appearance he was angry. "I thought it'd always be us, you know? Didn't expect much love in my life besides this. So I obviously don't want to leave you guys, but I don't know if it's weird."

Kim shrugged, "Not weird for me. I vote yes to Maka staying with us. Black Star, think long and hard like a regular human being before you answer. Kilik?"

Kilik's thumb was under his chin, the rest of his fingers sagely rubbing at a non-existent beard. "I vote no. The two of you should move out on your own."

"What?" Kim's voice fluttered up an octave. "Come on, Kilik! Maka's really nice, and she's-"

"Not a problem with Maka," Kilik smiled. "Soul just needs to be a big boy now, not relying on us to keep him grounded. Stuff with Maka's only going to move forward if he's not in a safety net."

Kim sighed, her lips pressing into a thin line after the exhale. After a beat of silence, she relinquished the tight hold of her jaw and breathed again, "You're too logical."

"It's my curse," Kilik laughed. "Black Star?"

Soul locked eyes with Black Star, tightening that arm around his neck somewhere between threat and comfort. "I hate the whole thing," he muttered.

"Black Star, use your big boy feelings," Kim called.

"I am!" He huffed. "It's stupid that you're in love, and it's stupid that you want to leave us, and I hate it. End of story."

Kilik waved a hand at Kim who had opened her mouth again to tease, "Give the guy another second."

Black Star let out a long exhale, frowning up at Soul's watchful face. "But you should go, move out. I don't want your romantic shit around the house anyway." Black Star planted a hand on Soul's face, pushing him enough to get out of the stranglehold so he could reverse it, rubbing a fist into Soul's hair. "But if I get lonely over the summer I have an all-access pass to your place, anytime I want and that girl can't say shit."

"You will but I can't guarantee she won't," Soul grunted as he tried to stop the revolution of Black Star's fist. After enough fussing and fighting, Soul freed himself. "I do love you guys, though. This doesn't really change that, OK?"

"Gross," Black Star muttered.

Kilik took off his shoe, throwing it straight for Black Star who barely dodged. "The idiot means the feeling's mutual."

"Love is a strong word," Kim leaned into the edge of the couch. "You're all tolerable."

Kilik clutched at his heart, "Thanks, Kim."

She shot a smile Kilik's direction before focusing back on Soul. "Then when are you out?"

"I mean, I…" Soul shrugged. "We didn't find anywhere but maybe May. Before the summer, probably once school ends."

"That's coming up," Kilik dissolved back into his serious self. "Start looking now, and maybe look for something you could afford on your own, just in case."

That ending thought hit him like a truck. He was jumping into unknown territory, no safety net, no guarantee that love was going to last or save the day or do anything but get him hurt. _Just in case_. That thought terrified him and at that moment he was almost begging for her to be there, to smooth her fingers through his hair and tell him it was no big deal, that there was no reason for just in case.

* * *

Maka hadn't been surprised by the verdict, imagining that the house already felt close to bursting and putting her in the middle would have been just stress for all involved. And if she had heard Kilik's rationale which Soul decided to keep to himself, she would have agreed: this quickly banded together love needed a test or else they'd never find out what the reality was for them. Tonight, for Maka, was the first hurdle.

Telling Spirit would most likely be a disaster, and while she wanted to rely on Soul as a crutch, she forced him to swear he'd go to work, no surprises, right after dropping her off at the restaurant where she was meeting Spirit. After that she'd meet him at the bar, hopefully avoiding Spirit offering to drop her off. This was the plan, but things rarely went to plan.

Because promises were forgotten and Soul had wheedled his way into sitting with Maka for the main piece of the agenda.

Soul had done the right thing and extending his hand to Spirit as if he were on a job interview as soon as he was in range. "I'm Soul Evans."

"I know," Spirit was quick to answer, but less so when taking his hand. Maka had to throw him a signature glare before a few pumps were exchanged and Spirit managed, "Spirit Albarn."

Now the three of them sat in a booth at a bar a little less sophisticated than _Reapers. _The stretch of silence that started after they sat made his skin crawl and Soul started to search for something to say. He brought his water glass to his lips, eyes darting between the two of them until settling on Spirit's iron glare.

As soon as they locked eyes, Spirit's moved to his daughter. "Are you pregnant?"

Water shot from Soul's mouth, most of it thankfully caught back in the cup with only a medium dribble down his chin and into his lap.

Maka only blinked for a moment as if the words were alien. "What?"

"I can't imagine another reason why you'd call me here with _him_ unless you were." Spirit made a grand, annoyed waved in Soul's direction.

"Are you serious?" The grip of Maka's hand on his tightened and Soul considered pulling away in an effort to save a finger.

Spirit sighed, "Maka, if you are-"

"No!" Her voice came out as a wail, turning some of the eyes in the room their direction. "And if I was a bar wouldn't exactly be the place that I planned on telling you."

His eyes fell on Soul again and, regardless of the watery mess down the front of his shirt, Soul felt almost ready for him. "I thought it would be better if you had the chance to meet me before you and Maka talked. I didn't think we started off on the right foot."

"Oh, really?" Spirit narrowed his eyebrows. "You mean you assault someone, run off with my kid over Christmas, and keep her spirited away until after New Year's."

Maka was squeezing his hand again but it was his anger that was threatening now. "Look, I fought, sure, but she and I made those decisions. I didn't just-"

"Maka doesn't just make those kinds of decisions, she's smarter than that," Spirit shot back. "And it's not like you're some long term romance, you two are _kids_ and-"

Soul couldn't take another word of it, cutting Spirit off for his own sanity. "I love Maka."

In the next moment, there were a million things that Spirit could have done and all of those things would have been a better choice than the one that he did. Looking Soul straight in the face, Spirit laughed. Not just some cute little 'father realizes daughter's boyfriend isn't so bad' type of way, this isn't a sitcom, but one of those laughs that embodied the 'yeah, right' with such an intensity that Soul found his blood hitting a boiling point. Maka saw it, too, and while she got a hand to his chest, holding his shirt so tightly that he had no choice but to stay seated, she couldn't stop the words from spewing from his mouth.

"I _do_ love her, you jackass, and if you took half a second to actually talk to your daughter instead of abandoning her whenever you feel like it you'd realize it!" His voice was straining and he'd drawn the attention of most of the people in the bar while Spirit just sat dumbfounded. "Maka was right, I should have just left her with the job of talking to you since I can't help but feel hating you is still the right thing to do. I haven't seen you do a thing for her but hurt her and I can't fucking let that go."

"Soul, stop, please." Maka was pressing that hand to his chest, trying to stop the way he heaved for air, ready to throw out another sentence he shouldn't say.

Spirit finally came back to himself, his fingers gripping white-knuckled at the table. "You-"

"Papa, don't!" Maka was seriously contemplating reaching across the table and clacking their heads together. "Both of you just… shut up." Her eyes alternated between the two of them, watching as they swallowed the words on their tongues. "Soul, you have to go to work."

"Maka-"

She gripped him a little tighter, giving him a shake. "Don't. Just go, OK?"

Soul studied her face for a moment, feeling all of his power draining away. "You need me, you call me."

"I know." Regardless of her father's stare, Maka leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek, giving him a little extra shove out of the booth. Soul begrudgingly stood, eyes avoiding Spirit as he turned and began his stomping walk out of the bar.

"You let him talk to me that way?" Spirit spat as soon as Soul was out of earshot.

Maka sighed, leaning back in the seat before running her fingers through her hair, an unfortunate habit she was picking up from the proximity to Soul. "He's overprotective when it comes to me. It doesn't make what he did right, and I'll let him know later, but you didn't give him much to work with, Papa."

Spirit grimaced, "I'm supposed to?"

Maka let that question sit while the waiter came over to take their order. Spirit had his usual beer and while Maka would normally wait until she was in the comfort of Soul's bed to have a nightcap, she decided a glass of wine might be the only way to get through this conversation. Maybe a double. "How's work?"

He rolled his eyes a little at the subject change before sighing, knowing this whole evening was a losing battle. "You know how it is, never calm for too long. Not half as busy now as it was over the holidays. That always seems to bring out the homicidal tendencies in people."

"I bet." Spirit wasn't amused by the smirk that spread across her face but it quickly faded as she took the next breath. "But you were busy, over the holidays?"

"I tried, kiddo, I did, but you know how it is. Homicide doesn't stop just because you put up a tree." Spirit reached a hand across the table, watching as Maka hesitated to take it. "I wanted to be there with you, you know that."

"Sure." Maka let a finger touch his, keeping the rest of her hand away. "That's why Blair said you were still going to the club, right?" An answer wasn't necessary, the grit of his teeth, the short exhale of air between them as they clenched telling her the story she already knew. "And you know Mom called me. I'm glad the two of you can get along when it means ganging up on me."

"Maka, that's not fair." Spirit pulled back the reach of his hand, crossing his arms over his chest instead.

"No, it's not." Maka sighed, her eyes drifting across the restaurant, following the waiter as he brought over their drinks. They hadn't even bothered to open the menus and thankfully the waiter didn't ask, offering the few more minutes and quickly dodging away. It was probably the screaming that clued him in that this wasn't going to be his quickest moving table this evening. Maka restrained herself from taking a gulp but managed a long, drawn-out sip before looking back at Spirit. "Papa, Soul's important to me."

"Well, he _loves_ you, right?" That word was offered as a curse.

"And I love him." Maka was almost surprised by her own calm and found it comical how Spirit's eyebrows raised for just a second. "And don't start with '_you've only been dating a few months'_ please."

"It's a solid line, Maka, especially since it's the truth." Spirit took a slow sip of his beer, clanking the glass a little harder than expected against the table. "I just wish you were more careful, running off like that with him. You're still in college and now with work, you should be making sure you're not wasting your time with him when you could be studying."

Maka snorted softly into her wine glass, taking another swallow. "Don't worry, Papa, still all A's and truthfully, Soul's not that far behind and he works a lot, too. We're responsible. And that's why, well, that's why we're going to move in together this summer."

If the glass had been made of any softer material it would have exploded in Spirit's grip. "Maka, seriously? You barely know each other. What's going to happen when this explodes and you don't have the dorm to come back to? Did you even think of that?"

"No," Maka resisted the way he fed into her anxiety, but only just barely. "Papa, if it doesn't work, it doesn't and I'll figure it out but I'm not making contingency plans. I'm trying to just assume we'll be fine."

"Are you insane?" It was almost a shout again and Maka watched as the waiter, who had been on his way back to them, turned tail and ran at the volume. "What's gotten into you? You used to be careful, you used to think-"

"I used to be scared!" Maka was surprised by her own tone, sure now that the waiter would never come back. She pressed a hand to her lips for a moment, steadying her breath. "I used to be so scared that history just repeats itself. Regardless of what happened to you, to Mom, that doesn't mean that's where I'll end up, where we'll end up. That doesn't mean that Soul is going to end up being anything other than what he is - caring, truthful, dependable."

Maka swirled the wine in her glass, trying to concentrate on the way it flowed around the corners of the glass. "I didn't expect you to like this, but you have to understand that this isn't about you and me, Papa. I'm not punishing you, I'm not trying to make you angry, I'm just trying to live my life." She finally let her hand reach across the table, opening her palm to him. "And that life is with Soul."


	18. Family

I'm sorry this took so long, definitely got writer's block on the pre-wedding activities. I'm still not sure I like what I wrote but... please be kind.

* * *

Maka hadn't expected the phone call, hadn't expected Lizzie's voice to be so bright, so inviting, nor to expect that she'd be in town and want to meet. There was just an assumption that Lizzie saw Maka as part of a package deal with her future brother-in-law, someone that had to be present when he was. The idea of the two of them having coffee together alone without the boys never seemed to occur to Maka. But as Maka left the museum that day, that was exactly what they had planned to do, Lizzie waiting patiently at the cafe Soul had taken her to eons ago.

There was already a second coffee sitting in front of Lizzie and Maka thought for a moment she had been mistaken, that it wasn't one on one. "Hello, Maka!" Lizzie waved her over to the small cafe table pressed by the window. "Coffee black, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Maka eagerly took the cup as Lizzie slid it to her. "It's wonderful to see you."

"I know, and I'm sorry that we've been missing in action for the most part since the holidays." Lizzie used her sigh to cool her coffee. "Catherine's been a complete beast, my own mother coming in a close second, and both have been running us ragged with planning."

Maka tried to stop the smirk from curling her lips. "Catherine, a beast?"

Lizzie's laugh was low and throaty. "Horrid. All of them. But I'm afraid I'm about to be just as horrid."

"What do you mean?" Maka sipped carefully at her coffee, watching as Lizzie pressed her fingers to her lips to keep back another laugh.

Her other hand came to Maka's, gently resting on top. "It's not entirely fair, and I know we're only a few months away, but would you mind being in the actual wedding party?"

Maka was lucky her sip had been over, the word shooting from her mouth instead of the hot liquid, "Me?"

"Well, Soul's best man, and while I can't offer you maid of honor, my sister Susanna has promised herself that position, I'd love for you to be a bridesmaid." Lizzie gave Maka's hand a little squeeze before letting a hopeful grin stretch across her face.

Maka's first reaction was to laugh as if this were some practical joke or a nefarious plot with Catherine waiting in the rafters. She found herself biting her lip, trying to hush those thoughts. "Well, of course, Lizzie. If you really want me to be."

Lizzie's excitement was practically oozing through her fingertips, sending a morse code of joy tapping over Maka's fingers. "I do, and not only will Catherine be mortified but you'll have the luck of very limited interactions with her because you'll have the easy excuse of being too busy helping me."

"Well, if it'll bother Catherine," Maka teased only half-heartedly. While she was sure Soul would find some kind of joy in it, too, it felt empty to her.

Thankfully Lizzie seemed to read it right off of Maka's face. "It's not just for Catherine, though. You're genuinely wonderful, Maka, and Wes and I really want to make sure you do feel like an accepted member of this family or at least the tiny segment of this family that has any sense."

The words trembled in her mouth before tumbling out quietly, "Thank you, Lizzie." The idea of them as a family had sent her heart into a fluttering mess. It's one thing to love Soul, physically and emotionally, but it's another thing altogether to be a family, to let your love be a bridge to something bigger. Saying I love you hadn't been that hard for her, but this would be her hurdle blocking the road in her heart that she knew she wanted to travel.

"Then, it's settled." Lizzie slipped her phone out of her pocket, scrolling around on the screen before turning it to Maka. "This is the calendar. Let's plan and see what you'll be able to make it to."

Maka took out her phone, starting to put in dates and times and places. Dresses, shoes, hair, makeup, parties and showers. She wondered for a second if Soul's calendar looked like this but that thought broke into a laugh, knowing that the closest he got to planning was usually a day or two ahead of time. This was going to be the entirety of her spring into summer.

"I've purposefully kept Catherine out of the shopping parts," Lizzie sighed, "but for the parties, she will be there. I guess it'll ease us both into the misery of planning a wedding."

Maka laughed as she put the last date, the rehearsal dinner, into her calendar. "But the actual wedding itself will make all of this worth it, right?"

Lizzie leaned onto her elbow, a wistful sigh breaking her lips. "I don't know, sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier to just disappear for a weekend and come back married. Wes is a tad bit too old fashioned to do that, though."

"We can try to get Soul to convince him," Maka laughed.

"Soul is anti-wedding? Somehow I'm not surprised," Lizzie rolled her eyes playfully, eliciting another laugh from Maka. "But doesn't that bother you?"

"Me?" Maka blinked at this, the implication slow to settle into her mind. Even when it finally dawned on her all it could bring forth was a shrug. "When I think of marriage I think of my parents, their failure, and well, it's not that I'm against it but… we're fine just as we are. I don't know if that'll change, but right now I have everything I want."

* * *

Soul was still lounging in her bed as Maka dressed, his eyes following the last bits of bare skin. "You're beautiful, you know that."

"Stop it," she chimed.

"Never." He was grinning like a fool as he crawled to the edge of the bed, his hand grabbing at the hem of her skirt to pull her back towards the bed. "I don't say it enough to begin with."

"If I had a dime for every time you said it…" She playfully slapped at his hand, finding it completely ineffectual at deterring him. "We both have things to do today."

Soul let go of her hem but let his hand drift down her thigh. "You're going to be alright?"

"Fine," she realized the shortness in her voice only after the word escaped her mouth. "Maybe. I hope." Maka sidestepped his hand, moving instead to sit on the bed next to him as her fingers instantly moved to run through his hair. "Lizzie is going to pick me up so at least I'll have her."

His fingers softly caressed her lower back. "I hear her sister's _interesting_ but her best friend's supposed to be tolerable."

Maka leaned over to press her grin to his. "Is this what girl-talk with Wes has scrounged up?"

"The best I could do." Soul slowly brought himself to sitting, his shoulder nudging against hers. "Honestly, I still don't know why you agreed. You're too good, Maka."

She shook her head slowly before turning her eyes from his, not sure she could the words could even come from her mouth. "It's selfish, really."

"Selfish?" The word was almost punctuated with a laugh but as he focused in on the tremble of her lip he silenced himself, bringing his arm instead to wrap around her waist. "Why would you say that?"

Maka let her fingers run along his forearm as a shaky smile twisted the corner of her lips. "It's your family and all I want to do is be a part of it."

"I, uh…" Soul couldn't pinpoint the dizzying giddiness, the way those earth-shattering little utterances threw his entire mind into a tailspin. He bought himself time by bringing his lips to hers, feeling her smile strengthen as he was anything but gentle. After stealing as many kisses as he could in the time he had, Soul pulled away with a sigh. "I can't really complain when all of your so-called selfish actions always seem to benefit me in the long run."

A huff of air loosely resembling a laugh exited her nose as she touched his cheek. "I'm going to be late." As if on cue, her phone buzzed alive on the desk. "That's probably Lizzie."

Soul let her slip away from him completely as she stood to grab the phone off the desk, concentrating on the screen. "Have her drop you off at the house tonight." He turned so his feet planted on the floor, considering the option of following her.

"We both have class tomorrow," she reminded him between clicking on Lizzie's message and typing a reply.

He huffed, "Consider it training for living together."

Maka firmly shook her head. "Between finding an apartment today and then studio work tonight, you'll be snoring by the time I get there anyway."

"Slander," he grumbled. Soul leaned over the side of the bed, grabbing his shoes and beginning the process of putting them on.

"Tomorrow, after work, you and me in bed with a movie and I'll tell you all about bridesmaid dresses and you'll tell me about the apartment that you'll magically find." She caught him at the end of tying his laces, leaning over to press her lips against his.

He stood up, pulling her into one of their old lingering hugs, his hands sinking into her sweater. "I guess that can be a compromise." Really, he had to admit she was right. He was going to run himself ragged today, trying his damndest to find a place for the two of them, a task that she'd so easily trusted him with.

"Walk me down?" It was a nonsensical request, something he'd have to do anyway as she was leaving the dorm, but the softness in her voice made his heart skip a beat.

Soul hated to let go, but let her slide out of his arms. "Of course."

They started through the door room, both making sure to say goodbye to Tsubaki before heading out into the hallway. Maka was walking a little too fast for him to slip an arm around her so he had to content himself with stretching out his hand to grab just her fingers until she slowed enough to get her entire hand. Everything in him was screaming about protecting her, about going along and making sure all of those girls played nice and that none of them tried to pull any Catherine like behavior. Instead, he knew he was going to have to keep that in check, knew that she was strong even on her own and didn't need her overprotective boyfriend sulking about in the background.

As they exited the dorm, Lizzie was already waiting, idling at the curb in a boxy 90s Volvo. Soul finally matched her speed as they got closer to the car, allowed him to grab at the door before Maka could. "Thank you. Hey, Lizzie." Maka dipped into the car as Soul leaned after her, just sticking his head in far enough to show off a smile.

Lizzie amused smile darted between the two of them. "Hello, Soul, Maka."

"If you two need anything, call me," Soul punctuated the sentence with a kiss on Maka's cheek. "Don't get into too much trouble."

"Same goes for you," Maka laughed.

Soul closed the door and took a step back onto the sidewalk, sending a little wave their way.

* * *

Dress shopping was decidedly not a nightmare as Maka had thought. It occurred to her, of course, that each one of the girls there were on their best behavior, a group that seemed to know little about each other besides their close acquaintance to Lizzie. First, it was Susanna, Lizzie's younger and much more talkative sister. Susanna looked absolutely nothing like Lizzie, keeping her hair long and a brunette so highlighted that it may as well be called dirty blonde. Best behavior was also probably not a term that many used for Susanna, who was the one most likely to be a little too free with her opinions.

Elena was the second in the group, Lizzie's long-time best friend, a title she had kept since early grade school. Her hair was dyed to a deep wine color, strangely accenting her bright blue eyes.

Finally, Flore, a fellow aptly named botanist whose hair was as dark as night with eyes almost just as dark. She was technically from Hong Kong but had spent most of her adolescent life in France where she and Lizzy met.

All three seemed in strange contrast to one another as if Lizzie didn't have a set type of friend and preferred having a group that in no way matched. Maybe that kept life interesting. Maka tried to compare her own friend group but, to be honest, she didn't have much besides Tsubaki to make a comparison. Being with this many ladies at once in a social setting was actually something completely new. This was yet another thing that she assumed would be anxiety-producing but as they sat around, sipping champagne in some high-end boutique that Maka couldn't even pronounce the name of, she was oddly content.

She had sandwiched herself between Flore and Elena, rightfully assuming that she would need at least a little space from Susanna to keep her sanity. "So you're dating the younger brother?" Elena leaned in, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Soul," Maka tried not to necessarily beam, but she failed miserably.

"Soul? How did they get _that_ name after Wes?" Elena directed the question more towards Lizzie who had been sliding through a few dresses.

Susanna started to earn Maka's assumption, whispering to Elena as if Maka still wasn't close enough to hear, "Just some experiment, I bet. They had him ten years after Wes, you know. Probably an accident."

Elena stiffened a little, her mouth twisting as if she could taste the bitter words. "I'm suddenly reminded why I prefer your sister."

Susanna rolled her eyes and this time made her voice loud enough for Maka. "But I heard he's cute, maybe even better looking than Wes, but I can't believe that."

"They're both handsome," Maka offered.

"And even if he is the black sheep, he'll still get half the estate," Susanna chimed.

"I'm sure that's exactly why Maka likes him, too," Elena smirked before giving Maka a nudge. "Please tell me he's at least a little less uptight than his brother."

"I don't think Wes is uptight." Maka's shrug only got a laugh from Elena in reply. "But Soul is, well, he's different. Definitely not Wes."

"Try this on," Lizzie interrupted by pressing a gown to Maka's chest. Slowly gowns were handed out, reminding each girl that it wasn't gossip but dresses they were there for. Lizzie had them all lined up, each woman in a different style. "What do we think?"

Maka normally would never have an opinion, mostly because this was for Lizzie, not for herself, and as every good bridesmaid knows you usually just grin and bear whatever you're put through. Thankfully, all of the choices were tasteful, nothing so avantgarde that Maka would rather die than be seen in public. Secretly she hoped for the current pick that Flore was wearing, a lace v-neck top that gathered at the waist with a long flowing skirt, the slit just above the knee, but all Maka would do was send her hopes out into the universe.

Susanna, of course, had a voice, one that was only matched by Elena while Flore looked more interested in the flowing movement of her own skirt. Lizzie was attentive as Elena and Susanna vied for the biggest opinion while Maka took the opportunity to peruse the room with Flore. "I honestly think we're friends because she needs peace and quiet every now and then," Flore murmured as her fingers danced through the drapes of fabric.

"Isn't that why she likes working with flowers in general?" They laughed together, finally drawing Lizzie's eye from the other two that had fallen to bickering.

"What about my quiet ones?" Lizzie had leaned into Flore, throwing her arms around her shoulders. "Thoughts?"

"Whatever Susanna _doesn't_ like," Flore replied with a cool smile.

"My baby sister is unbearable," Lizzie sighed. "Maka?"

"Oh," Maka shook her head. "I don't know anything about dresses, really, and-"

Lizzie batted out a hand, pressing into Maka's shoulder. "That's a blatant lie! The dress you wore the night we met was lovely."

"Well…" Maka took a moment to study Lizzie's smile as well as the one on Flore's face. They were gentle, waiting for her opinion as if those words mattered. It was a dizzying thought and she was struck by the absence of loneliness even without Soul there. "The one Flore's wearing is lovely."

"That means two votes for Flore's dress from this side of the room." Lizzie released Flore to glance back at Elena and Susanna who still seemed to be locked into their argument. "And those two are too busy with each other, so Flore's it is. I think this deserves more champagne!"


	19. Courage

Quick update that is hopefully better than the last. Please enjoy, **sexual content ahead!**

* * *

Soul was never good at waiting, never been equipped with the patience for it. That was why he was outside of her dorm first thing in the morning, coffees in hand and smirk on his face. "Hello, beautiful."

"You're too much," she laughed before grasping the cup from his hand. "What happened to seeing each other tonight?"

"We will," he shrugged. It was a skillful dance to pull her in without displacing any of the coffees in play, but he did it artfully, not a missed drop but a smooth glide to the first kiss of the day. "Plus, one thing's a little time-sensitive."

"Oh?" She blinked her eyes out of the daze that usually came with one of his lingering kisses.

"Found a place." The beam of his smile blew her away, especially since it was nowhere near the lopsided smirk he usually adopted.

Maka took a second to recover from the way it made her stomach flip before taking his phone that he had been holding out to her. She started flipping through the pictures, the blank canvas sprawled out in front of her that they could paint their lives on. There was nothing necessarily special about it, the bland white walls, the general cramped spaces made just for college students, but it was the hope there, especially the shining example of it plastered all across his face. Maka barely needed to look at the pictures. "You found _our _place."

That statement stole away his breath as his mouth started to ache from the stretch of his smile. "If you like it, yeah."

She handed him back the phone, giving him a quick peck on the cheek along with it. "As long as it has a laundry and you, I'm set."

"Check and check." He was hopeless, letting a goofy, contented sigh break his lips as he pocketed his phone. Once that hand was free it came back to her, grabbing at her hip.

"Soul," she chided as she tried to pry his fingers away. "What else do we need to do?"

"I need to pick you up after class, we'll sign the lease, and then I'll drop you at work." His fingers refused to be pried and pulled her a little closer in the playful struggle. "And then I'll pick you up again, take you back to the house, and we'll celebrate."

"OK, but first I actually have to go to class." She pushed at his chest, finally getting him to relinquish what little hold he had left. "I'll see you later." Maka waved playfully over her shoulder before letting their paths diverge, her towards the English building while he took a turn towards the music hall.

Soul should have just studied to kill time, but there was a surprising urge cultivating in his heart to see his brother, a whim he'd never actually embraced on campus, so he followed it. The Marryott Music Building seemed right out of a college brochure, with bright brick and colonial columns to add to the splendor of the entry. None of it really hit Soul since he was entirely entranced by the thought that he was in search of Wes. He waltzed in, realized he had no idea where his brother's office actually was and proceeded to check the letter board signage that held the names and room numbers. _Evans 122._

Each door in the hallway must have been its own tree at one time, the thickness trapping the sound and keeping the walkways only populated with the patter of footsteps. Soul concentrated on his own as he watched the numbers increase. A sliver of anxiety washed over him as he touched the knob, thinking about knocking, about how he could be intruding, how there was a minute chance that Wes wouldn't be happy to see him and the pain of that. He turned it anyway, trying to swallow away the doubt with a dry throat.

Wes's eyes lazily flicked from the morning paper to the door before his mouth split in a smile that one would definitely say resembled the goofy one Soul had adopted not that long before. "Soul! What a pleasant surprise. Come in," Wes was trying but failing on reining himself in, each of those sentences punctuated with affability.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." All of that nervousness was melting away as his brother's warmth seemed to hit him in waves. Soul moved towards the seat across from him, glancing around the office and seeing the tendency to live in general disarray that he and his brother seemed to share.

"Not at all," Wes glanced quickly at his watch, "You have thirty minutes of my undivided attention."

"I won't take all of it," Soul laughed as he leaned back into the seat, hearing the old wooden chair protest. The next sentence seemed to stick behind his teeth, the precious information of the apartment still seeming too newborn to relinquish. "Just thought I'd see how things were going, you know, with the wedding."

"Ah," Wes sighed protractedly as he leaned back in the chair. "Well, you know we set the venue, the flowers are ordered to mother's specifications, the linens to _her_ mother's specifications, and the outfits, thankfully, to Lizzie's specifications. I'm almost sure mother wanted me in tails but Lizzie decided that dressing us was where she was going to put her foot down."

"Lucky for you," Soul chuckled.

Wes ran his fingers through his hair before smiling a little wider. "And I hear Maka was instrumental in narrowing down the bridesmaid's dress since she was one of the few bridesmaids not bickering."

"Don't ruin the story for me." Soul smiled between a sip of his coffee. "Maka's supposed to tell me tonight after work." His finger touched along the plastic rim of the lid, playing with the indents as he played with the words in his mouth. "I, uh, forgot to ask, with the best man thing… did you want a bachelor party?"

"Oh," Wes blinked before setting a thoughtful finger to his lips. "I'm not exactly one for strip clubs and drunken debauchery."

Soul's reply was partially a sigh of relief while at the same time laughing at his brother's choice of words. "I didn't really think that's what you wanted but… maybe we should go out. I'd just need the info on your other groomsmen."

For the first time since he walked in the room, Wes's genial disposition faltered, his eyebrows furrowing for just a moment as he took in a long breath. "Soul, I don't want to ask too much of you."

"What?" Soul tried to shrug it off, the affable laugh he attempted struggling from his throat. "It's your wedding, I'm your best man. I'm supposed to do what you need."

"Then…" Wes sighed, "Could it just be you and me?"

"You want… just us?" He couldn't help but feel as the emotion caught in his throat.

Wes's eyes were watching him closely as one watches their feet in a minefield. "My other groomsmen were obligations, spaces that needed to be filled, and that's fine since we'll both agree that is what weddings are for the most part. The real memory I'd like to have here is more time with my brother."

"OK," Soul barely choked out, feeling the burn in his eyes. He took a moment to force another few gulps of coffee, trying to use the bitterness to talk himself out of crying. After the time and liquid cleared the emotion from his throat he started again. "I'll plan something, just you and me. Tell me a weekend that's good."

Wes fell back into his usual smile. "I'll text you a few."

"Sure." Soul pressed the coffee to his lips again to keep a secondary wave from taking him. "You know, Wes…" The absence of rejection, both by other people and by himself, was starting to feel like the norm and his new easiness was hard for him to handle. "You can ask for that whenever you want, OK? It doesn't have to be just for this."

Wes cleared his throat, "Good to know."

That was enough borderline crying for the day, those complex feelings compelling him to rise to his feet. "I'm going to go. So text me and I'll figure something out."

"Thank you, Soul," Wes's voice was nothing more than a murmur.

"Yeah, anytime, like I said." He tried to shrug it off but as he turned for the door he could feel that swell again. He had to tell himself it wasn't anything _bad_, it was just the old residuals of hurt finally becoming useless, finally drifting away so that nothing clouded their relationship anymore. _Wes is my brother._

* * *

Soul hadn't even waited for them to be in the room before his hand had snaked up the front of Maka's shirt, pulling her against his chest to make walking an awkward but still enjoyable task, at least for him.

"Soul, we've got a full house." She started the protest but as his fingers slipped under the cup of her bra it had mostly fizzled out of her mind.

"_I'm_ not going to make any noise." His voice almost sounded innocent but that devious smirk on his face saturated his tone. At this point he'd gotten her through the door, kicking it shut behind them before shuffling her towards the direction of the bed. "And you're the only one embarrassed when you do."

"Soul…" Maka couldn't formulate any come back, any quip as her back met the mattress. Her legs were still dangling over the side and before she could push herself up she felt him grasp at her thighs before sliding up her dress to get his hands on her panties.

"Stay right there," he murmured as he grabbed the thin bit of fabric and began pulling it down to her knees.

Maka preemptively slapped a hand over her mouth only to let a sigh escape through her fingers as her panties disappeared and he spread her legs. The next sound she clamped in, the gasp as his tongue traced the line between her legs. Normally, there should be embarrassing worrying here about what she must taste like, why he would even want to be that close but with the way his mouth hungrily lapped at her there was no possible way it could even form. He was engrossed, licking at her as if he was starving and she was the only sustenance he'd ever need. Just when she thought that was enough he sucked on her clit and she caught his eyes darting up to her to enjoy the look on her face, that prideful grin spreading between her legs.

That's why it was always so easy, so immediate when he was touching her, that feeling of her legs turning to Jell-O and a fire about to ignite deep in her belly. It was the way that his mind never seemed to be anywhere else but on her in these moments, obsessed with watching her being overtaken with ecstasy. She felt it in that moment and the many before it, his devotion to being only hers and letting the rest of the world fall away. Maka couldn't keep that out of her mind even as his fingers entered her, massaging that spot inside her that made her toes tingle. Partially because of the physical manipulation but also because of the emotional, Maka had to close those fingers firmly over her mouth, leaving the guttural groan to grumble in her throat before throwing her hand to the side and sucking in air.

"See? Quiet," he chuckled as he joyfully wiped at his mouth, leaving behind that roguish smile.

"Barely," she murmured after another deep inhale, trying to will function rather than euphoria to her limbs.

"Stay right there," he repeated with a chuckle.

"As if I can do anything else." But she made herself a liar, pulling the rest of her dress up and over her head and ditching her bra before falling back to the bed, hair spilling across the comforter.

Soul was fiddling with the condom, feeling the strain of the anticipation. He should be over this, that incessant, pure _need _that he felt for her, especially as months were slowing tipping more towards a year than away from it. He was keenly aware that they would hit six months together at the end of April which was two weeks away and that only seemed to drive him deeper in love as if that were possible. He could almost hear Black Star stay it was pure bullshit but to be honest, it was pure bliss.

Properly protected, his guiding hands moved to her hips, bringing her to roll over onto her stomach with her feet still firmly planted on the ground. Soul both loved and hated this position, being out of view of her expressions was a special kind of torture, but the supple run of her spine, the curve of her ass was enough to drive him wild. He claimed he reserved this for the times when a squeaky bed was involved, but really, it was a way to sneak all those emotions out without her necessarily seeing. He was thinking about the time, all the want, and the fact that he'd be putting it all on the line, that they would soon become something a little more than just boyfriend and girlfriend but cohabitors as he plunged deep inside her.

A rough sigh, not exactly quiet and not exactly cool, broke his lips. It was contentment and agitation rolled all into one, loving the way she felt but needing to feel more of it. He picked a slower rhythm than usual, his fingers digging into her hips as he moved her with each thrust. Maka moaned into the comforter, fingers grabbing into the fabric as he continued to grind against her. The build was making his legs ache and start to tremble underneath him. As he brought her back to him, delving deep as he felt that lightning strike all the way down to his toes, Soul couldn't stop himself from bending forward and letting the words loose, "I love you."

Maka awkwardly brought a hand behind her, grazing his side. "I love you, too."

At least that was enough to settle him, the release of himself and the words doing what he needed. He pulled away from her, giving one last lingering touch from her hip to her thigh before starting to clean himself.

"That was different." She stood up from the bed and snuck up behind him, hands snaking up to his chest. "You OK?"

Soul couldn't stop himself from bristling. "Was it bad?"

"Definitely not what I said," Maka corrected quickly with a kiss to his shoulder. "Reminded me of the first time I asked you to have sex and you said no. You've got something on your mind."

"I didn't say no." Her hands tightening their grip was the message not to get sidetracked and he sighed before taking another long breath. "Just scared, Maka. Don't get me wrong, we have a lot of great moments, but a lot of terrifying ones at the same time."

"The move?"

"Yeah," he grumbled as he brought a hand over one of hers and squeezed. "I don't want to lose you."

Maka pressed another kiss into his skin, letting a sigh heat the spot further. "Is there something you're not telling me about how you behave at home?"

"No." Again his better judgment he turned around, letting her see the battle playing across his face. "But-"

"Stop," she set a finger to his lips. "You're just overwhelmed, and you probably will be until we move in. You're going to try to overthink it, try to tell yourself that there are a million ways it could go wrong, but I'm going to ask you to just jump with me. I'll be brave enough for both of us."

Soul let a weak breath escape his lips, his fingers coming up to run through her hair. With his touch came her smile and all he could do was give one back. "Alright. You be the courageous one."


	20. The Light

The 20th chapter! What's worse is I still don't have an ending in sight. Please forgive me and keep reading.

* * *

Maka couldn't decide if Lizzie was erring on the side of progressiveness, but she was nonetheless thankful for the co-ed bridal shower. She was even more thankful that it was at Lizzie's parents' home instead of Catherine's which might leave her far enough out of her element that behavior would be muted, or at least that was what Maka had all her fingers and toes crossed for.

Pulling up to Lizzie's childhood home was just as breathtaking as Soul's, though maybe substantially more modern, with sharp angles and more windows than walls. The party was completely evident before even entering the door, seeing people meandering around behind the floor to ceiling windows. Soul did exactly as always, hand gluing to the small of her back before pushing her forward. Though she usually loved the feeling of it, this time the hand fluttered with nervous energy. "If she says one word to you-"

"Soul," she groaned, hearing the same argument that had sprung up at least two times during the car ride. "Let it go or I will tell her we're moving in together as soon as I walk in the door."

Soul sighed, fingers tapping at her back. "Fuck," he grumbled.

"Plus, she'll be distracted. New territory, new people to torment," Maka grinned in the face of his overprotective worry. "Meanwhile, you and I will be focusing on taking care of Lizzie and Wes. We're here for them today. Use some of that defensive energy for Wes."

Oh, he hated how absolutely right she was, not to mention that almost gloating grin on her face because she knew she was. Soul tightened those fingers and planted a soft kiss on her cheek that Maka happily accepted with a delicate caress to his cheek. They strode towards the door, seeing an excited Lizzie coming to meet them, Wes still lost somewhere in the crowd. The three met at the door, Lizzie instantly pulling Maka in. "There you are! I was almost afraid something had happened."

"No, entirely my fault." A lie that she heard Soul huff at since it had really been Soul's fault, him getting so worked up over another opportunity for his mother to torture her that Maka had no choice but to take time to distract him. "I hope we didn't miss anything important."

"No, but now it's time for formal introductions." Lizzie pulled Maka along, Soul trailing with his hands now jammed in his pockets, the population of the room making it difficult for him to keep an arm on Maka. Catherine was just up ahead and Soul tense as they slowed, luckily finding that Lizzie turned them, placing them in front of a couple about the same age as Soul's parents. The man's hair was still jet black and at his age, while it might be a dye job it didn't look it. For Maka, his eyes were like looking in a mirror, that verdant green that Soul complimented so much. The woman was petite, a striking contrast to Lizzie, with long brunette hair and sparkling blue eyes. "These are my parents, Emily and Stephen. This is Soul Evans, Wes's brother, and his girlfriend, Maka Albarn."

"Ah, so the rumor's true, you are pretty identical." Stephen offered a hand to Soul, pumping it strongly in a shake.

"Only the looks," Soul still said this with a smile even though he'd said it just about a million times with varying levels of annoyance. "Thanks for having us."

"Your house is beautiful! I love all the light from the windows." Maka was the next to shake as Soul moved on to Emily.

Emily sent a languishing eye roll to her husband. "The windows are great until you have to deal with the dead birds."

"Leave it to your mother to bring in the morbidity for the guests," Stephen laughed as Emily offered another roll of her eyes. "On that note, why don't you mingle. I'll even run a little interference with Catherine if you'd like."

"Dad," Lizzie scolded but received just a grin from her father.

"Have to face the beast sometime," Soul muttered.

Now it was Maka's turn for the scolding, pushing Soul towards his mother. "Come on."

It was a slow crawl to Catherine and Lewis, Soul's steps dragging even with Maka's force behind him. "Mom, Dad," Soul let the name act as a greeting, short and sharp.

"Hello, Soul," there was only a modicum of displeasure there, or at least there was until Maka shifted from behind him, coming into Catherine's view. "Maka."

"Hello, Catherine, Lewis," Maka was all charm nonetheless, not letting the harpy stare diminish anything. She had a mantra today that solidified her place, that reminded her of her purpose: she was a bridesmaid, she was Lizzie's friend, and most of all she was Soul's.

"I heard that Lizzie made you one of her bridesmaids." Lewis seemed to be building a bridge, one that could easily be tossed aside as his wife sent him a glare, not exactly an unfamiliar message.

Maka glowed in reply, her actual excitement shining through. "Yes!"

"I was surprised to hear that." Catherine turned her head, letting the anger for her husband fade to the usual casual disregard. "Especially since you all barely know each other."

Soul sucked at his teeth before shelving the attitude-ladened reply he had on hand. Almost as a reward, Maka's hand slipped into his, giving it a squeeze. "Well, we did get to spend some quality time together during the holidays, and since then we've been doing dinner dates on and off. You'd be proud, Soul and Wes have been seeing so much of each other-"

"My boys were always good with one another," Catherine corrected, daring Soul with a glance to say otherwise.

Maka blinked, her shine faltering, "Oh, I just meant-"

Catherine moved her eyes from Maka to her husband without a second thought. "Lewis, I see Sal Collins over there, we should say hello." Her eyes never made it back to Maka but fell on Soul for a moment to send a motherly message before resting a guiding arm against her husband's elbow and moving them forward through the crowd.

"Well, more than five words, and none of them necessarily forwardly aggressive." Maka laughed but found it useless against Soul's simmering temper. "Soul…"

"She gave me the _don't do this to me again_ look," he grumbled.

Maka ran her thumb over his knuckles. "I know that look well. Spirit's an expert at it. Definitely not an end of the world thing," she bumped her hip against his, "so chill out, please."

"I'm cool," said the epitome of not-cool, a Soul overwhelmed with a furrowed brow and a frown.

Maka studied him, oddly reminded of Grumpy Bear and found herself so amused a real laugh cracked through her lips, sending Soul's stare at her. She fumbled for an excuse and her eyes found it, settling in on the group of bridesmaids. "Come meet the other girls."

"Alright," he eyed her skeptically but allowed himself to be pulled through the crowd.

This didn't exactly strike Maka as a good idea either, but this would probably be an eventuality. She pulled him in front of her, moving to put him in the lead, the first face forward.

"Oh!" Susanna exclaimed as soon as Soul was in sight. "You must be the brother!"

"Soul," he offered. "And you're…?"

"Susanna," she seemed peeved he didn't already know, trying to exchange disapproving glances at an already exhausted Elena and a pleasantly ignorant Flore.

"And that's Elena," Maka pointed and received a short wave from her. "And Flore."

Flore smiled amiably, waving a gentle hand at Soul. "Come, sit. People watch with us."

"Who are we watching?" Soul eased himself slowly into the seat, his arm instantly curling around Maka's shoulders as she settled next to him.

"Mostly poor Lizzie and Wes juggle the pleasure of every person in the room," Elena grumbled before picking up a glass behind her and moving to drain it.

"Elena, don't get drunk," Susanna hissed.

Elena made a complete revolution of her eyes before dropping the glass from her mouth. "Be careful, Susanna's about as lenient as a Catholic nun today."

"I'm just saying to look out for my sister instead of your base pleasures," Susanna sighed. "Anyway, Soul, I've heard you're a musician just like your brother."

"Sort of," Soul tried to shrug off the comparison. "I guess I'm veering more towards producing than performing. Wes's always been a better showman."

"But you two seem more alike than not." Maka narrowed her eyes, struggling to follow where Susanna could possibly be going and trying to formulate ways to butt in, to keep Soul from the discomfort of some idiotic thing Susanna was about to spew. "And I hear you're well on your way to being the next married man out of the bunch." It came with a wink from Susanna as it settled into Maka's gut.

"We're not getting married," Maka let out a weak laugh, her hand coming up to ward off the comment.

Soul's eyes lingered over Maka for a second which she caught the tail-end of, a strange set to his jaw. "Don't know who you heard that from," he muttered.

"Oh, Christ, Susanna," Elena groaned.

"It's OK," Maka attempted another laugh, finding it only fluttering weakly from her lips. "Haven't you been seeing someone, Susanna?" This thankfully drove the storyline away from them, letting Maka sink into the drone of Susanna recounting her love life. She dared a glance at Soul, finding his face still oddly tight, his jaw still stuck painfully together.

After a few more minutes of Susanna's buzzing voice, Soul finally glanced at her before taking back his arm. "I'll be back."

"OK," she answered hesitantly, touching her fingers to his as he drifted away. Maka tried to watch where he went, losing him as he sunk into the crowd. She counted the minutes with toe taps, offered little here and there answers to Susanna, attempting to laugh as Elena came back with quips, but most of it felt as empty as Soul's seat. His absence could only be tolerated for a few more sentences before Maka forced herself to her feet and made a soft excuse before heading in the direction he'd gone.

Maka forced herself to keep an ambling gait, especially as she felt as if Catherine's eyes followed her, making a note of Soul's absence. He wasn't in the kitchen, not slinking against the wall outside of the bathroom or staring blankly through the window at the end of the hallway. She briefly glanced into the laundry room, even contemplated going upstairs to see if he was padding around there but she moved towards the backdoor instead, letting herself back out into the fresh air and sunshine.

Soul was leaning against the only solid wall of the house, keeping himself from the view of the windows. When her feet hit the concrete his eyes turned to her. "Hey," he murmured before running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, guess I lost track of time."

Maka crossed her arms low, holding herself at the elbows while she blinked at him for a moment. "Needed fresh air?"

"Yeah," he breathed weakly.

She took one step closer, now within arm's reach but kept her hands only to herself. "And a little space?"

"No, I just…" Soul watched as the sigh escaped her lips and he felt the lie turn to dust in his mouth. "It's stupid, Maka."

She nodded her head, "OK. What is it?"

"You were pretty quick to say you didn't want to marry me," it loosed from his lips like an accusation.

Maka sighed again before her hand moved up to press at her chin. "I don't think that's what I said."

"No, it wasn't," he groaned as he forced his hands through his hair. "But that's what I goddamn heard." Soul banged his head back, letting out another frustrated groan. "And it's stupid. So, _so _stupid. And it's not like I'm asking and it's not like we're even ready and when she said that I thought I was about to choke on my own spit, but, fuck, did I hate it when you said that."

"_I'm_ not ready," she tried not to laugh because it was asinine, a temper tantrum because of something he didn't want in the first place.

"I'm not ready," he repeated.

Sometimes he boggled her mind, the sensitivity from someone who always looked so apathetic. "But me saying it isn't happening hurts?"

Soul gave himself another good knock to the head as if that would straighten out his thoughts. "Yeah."

"Makes you mad at me that I said it?"

"No," he shot back quickly. "I didn't get up and leave because I was pissed at you. I was pissed at _me._ I punished myself with the corner, trying to figure it out but it took too long."

"Soul…" She shook her head and sent him one of those smiles that were only good at melting his heart. "I'm not leaving you. We're not getting married, but we're moving in together. We're figuring this out. As far as I know, we're solid, right?"

"Yeah," the sigh he added sounded unconvincing so Maka moved closer, reaching out and caressing his arm through the thin fabric of his dress shirt.

"I don't like marriage," she tried to state it without emotion but still heard the huff of air from his mouth. Maka moved the caress from his arm to his cheek, bringing his eyes to her. "That's not something that's your fault, that's a mom and dad thing that maybe someday I'll get over. But when I think about the future, about what I want to do and where I want to be, you're always there. Maybe not with rings on our fingers but with me always anyway."

He let out a long sigh of air before grabbing at her hips, pulling her body to his. "I'm an idiot."

"No," she laughed softly. "But sometimes I wonder if there's ever a bottom to how much you've been hurt."

Soul felt his stomach drop out from underneath him, the comment stripping him bare and leaving those nerve endings raw again, just like before. "Maka, what if-"

She shook her head, not letting him go down that dark path of thought. "You get like this, we work through it. There's no what if. We have a system and it's not like you're not putting in the effort to fix what you can."

_You're going to get sick of it, though, that's what I worry about the most_. Soul swallowed down the thought as she smiled at him again, clearing the hair from his face absently with a soothing caress. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, just for ditching me and hiding though, not for having your feelings." She tapped her fingers to his face playfully. "Especially after I told you that today was about Wes and Lizzie and all we're doing is disappearing in the backyard. That's not even remotely helpful."

"Yeah," he laughed weakly and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his chest and pressing it there. "Tell me you love me, then I'll go inside and be Wes's shadow for the rest of the day. Consider it my punishment."

"Don't be dramatic," she giggled before flexing her fingers beneath his. "Not punishment, duty as best man." She leaned in, catching his lips ever so softly with a sweetness that even forced her own sigh in contentment. "I love you."

"Love you," he murmured back like an echo before slowly releasing her and standing on his own. Soul took one more minute to look her over, to try to read how much he'd fucked things up again but found no stiffness about her, just that same simple smile to warm him.

* * *

Soul stretched out on the couch and hit the button to dial, clicking on the speaker function and resting the device on his chest. It was only a few rings before Wes's voice came, the same happiness chirping in his voice, "Hello, little brother!"

"Hi, Wes." Soul fiddled with the pillow at the end of the couch with his feet. Why he was even nervous about this he'd never know, but there it was, a strange anxiety. "So, I have a new address for you."

"You moved? What happened to your little crew?" It was instant concern and Soul ate it up, letting it abate some of the disquiet in his mind.

"They're all fine, just…" He cleared his throat. "Maka and I kind of moved in together."

"Kind of or did?" Wes instantly offered back playfully and Soul could hear the chuckle he had tried to angle away from the phone.

"Did," Soul grumbled. "It's close to the studio, the museum. I'll text you the address but just wanted to, you know, tell you. And, uh, tell you that if you wanted to stop by, you and Lizzie or just you, that would be cool. I can't promise the place will be clean but it's homey."

There was a pause, a shuffle on the other line with the residual sound of a deep breath. "Thank you, Soul, we will. Did you… should I convey this information to Mother?"

Soul kicked at the pillow again, one hand instinctively coming to his hair to push it back. "No, Wes, I'm actually going to call her next. Called you first since I didn't want to take all the anger out on you."

"Just don't take it out on Maka," Wes sighed. "Because we do _really_ like her. I'm not prying, but this has been good for you and now moving in together… You have to be careful. You're getting dangerously close to-"

"Don't even say it, Wes," Soul groaned. "We just started this last week and who knows if she'll even get used to all my quirks and shit. Plus, the wedding is a little over a month away. She might just dump me while you're on the way to the altar."

"Highly doubtful."

The flex of his foot had become continuous, all of his nervousness leading to the early death of the couch pillow. "And I'm trying not to wonder what Mom has planned for her because I will lose it, Wes, fucking _lose it_ if she tries another one of those stunts."

"Perhaps after you tell mother you're living together and all, she'll finally settle on the topic." But the silence that followed that statement, the break in the jovial conversation was enough to tell both of the brothers that that was a lie, that there was maybe a parallel reality where that was an option for Catherine Evans, but certainly not this one. "Soul, maybe you should just wait, call Mother tomorrow."

"Maybe." But that felt like chickening out, like he was hiding from her because she could actually do something to this, somehow ruin from afar. "But getting it over with-" He heard the click of the lock at the door and sat up, barely catching the phone as it tumbled from his chest. "Hey, I have to go, Maka's home." The sensation of those words filled his chest.

"One more thing - happy early birthday. I was going to call you tomorrow, but…"

Soul couldn't stop the grin from pulling at his lips. Usually, birthdays were lonely, secret things, and he had always avoided even taking a call from Wes during that time. "Yeah, thanks. I'll text you the address. Bye, Wes."

"Bye, Soul."

He let the phone fall to the couch before padding out to the hallway, the smile still playing on his lips. "Hey, Maka."

Her eyes widened at the sight of him, trying to shuffle her bag so she could move the rather large wrapped rectangle behind her. "You're not supposed to be home," she groaned.

Soul laughed, "Band rescheduled." He tried to reach for her, tried to help her negotiate the package she was slipping behind her, definitely not obscured.

"Well," Maka huffed, giving up and allowing him to take the wrapped item, "Happy birthday, then, a day early."

"No," he grumbled, elongating the vowel.

"I was trying to hide it, but the universe is apparently working against me." Maka leaned in, giving him a quick kiss. "I can keep the second half for tomorrow, though, if you want."

"I meant no, you weren't supposed to, and you know that." He leaned the thin package against the wall and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him.

"I told you it wasn't logical to miss one because you missed one." Her finger played with the collar of his shirt. "This year we celebrate both."

"Stubborn," he clicked his tongue against his teeth. "You just wait until November."

"Patiently." She eased out of his arms, giving him the package before pushing him back into the living room. "I have to admit that Wes helped me pick them out, so when you talk to him, give him a little credit, OK?"

Soul sat down on the couch, leaning the awkwardly large package against the coffee table. "I just got off the phone with him. Told him we moved and that I'd, uh, well, actually be telling Mom where I lived."

Maka raised her eyebrows and blinked a few times before dropping herself into the couch next to him. "Really? Catherine's going to know you're shacking up with this undeserving little harlot?"

"Please tell me she never used those words," Soul groaned, reaching for her rather than the gift, pulling her closer to him on the couch.

Maka shook her head. "Only in my head when I replay the part of the argument I missed at New Year's. Are you going to open that or do you want what's in my purse first?"

"I want you first," he murmured, the hand he had at her waist slipping under her shirt. He hid his head against her neck, planting a few kisses as his hand traveled up her back.

The sigh that escaped her mouth was interrupted by a laugh. "Soul, this isn't part of your birthday present."

He didn't take that as discouragement, fingers tracing the line of her bra until he came to the clasp. "Why not?"

"Because that you can have whenever." Maka produced a real sigh this time, her hand tugging at his until it relented. "Humor me, please, and open them."

Soul leaned back, crossing his arms in the process. "Alright, but I'd definitely don't like how you say I can have it _whenever_, makes it sound not as special as it is."

"You're such a romantic dork." She tossed her purse into his lap. "Once again, unwrapped. I'm starting to feel like that's going to be my luck when giving you gifts."

"Forget wrapping paper. Doing my part to save the environment." Soul opened her purse, taking out the brown paper bag. This was a familiar wrapping to him but the bottle inside was not, _Ichiro's Malt & Grain_, something he knew to be not middle shelf, the only range he'd allow himself to buy when it came to his whiskey and bourbon habit. "Please tell me Wes bought this."

"No." And before he could even voice the complaint her finger was pressed to his lips. "Don't. Spoiling you gives me joy, so let it go." She slowly moved her hand away, getting only a displeased grunt from his freed lips. "Now, I'm going to get you a glass while you start on the big one."

He didn't have time to lodge a complaint as she practically pranced out of the room. Soul took an extra minute to turn the bottle over in his hands, studying the amber liquid before putting it carefully on the coffee table. The size really only allowed for this to be one thing, a poster or painting, but he almost didn't want to open it because it was excessive. She was spoiling him, and while it should just give him a warm, fuzzy feeling, it also came with that anxious little complaint that she was too good for him. _But what if you actually deserve this? What if this is OK to have?_ That was an even more terrifying thought.

Maka came back and the furthest his hands had gotten was clutching the white protective paper wrapped tightly around the frame. "What, forgot how to unwrap?" She held the glass out under his nose and almost teased again, pausing just in time when she saw his face. The gears were turning in his head and he wasn't all there, lost in thought she could guess he shouldn't be having. "Soul?"

"Yeah," he blinked, taking the glass from her hand. The look didn't leave his eyes though, even as he concentrated on pouring a shot of the new bottle into his glass. Soul sniffed at the liquid first before barely letting it touch his lip. It burned nicely, a warm vanilla spice with a whiff of smoke at the tail end. His other hand went from the frame to her knee, clutching at it. "Maka, I'm really happy."

"You didn't even get to the big one," her laugh was soft and it fell even softer as he turned his eyes from his glass to her. It was _that _look, the one that even before he'd said the words just screamed _I love you_ in just about every way.

His eyes were glowing like hot coals, his lips curving only just gently into a smile that wasn't anything like a smirk, just blissful. "Well, the gifts, yeah, but with you. I really just love you, OK?"

She replied by capturing his lips, tasting that bite of alcohol off his tongue. At that moment she almost regretted not letting him have his first wish and found herself lingering in the kiss, almost unwilling to let go. Maka finally forced herself to exhale over his lips. "Again, romantic dork. Please open the big one."

"You're just plain cruel," he muttered, squeezing his hand on her knee again. He took another short sip of whiskey before putting it down on the counter, freeing up both of his hands for the frame. Soul was gentle with the paper, reaching behind the back and unfastening the tape so it came off in one sheet rather than tearing through and risk whatever was underneath. His breath caught in his throat and he had to work to exhale the words, "_The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame._"

"Obviously not the original." Maka ran her fingers up his arm, letting them settle at the base of his neck. "Wes helped me get a print. I thought it'd go nicely in the apartment."

"Yeah," he croaked, words still feeling almost impossible. Soul left the print leaning against the table and picked up his glass again. He stole a glance at her before he leaned back into the couch, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

Instead of settling herself against his shoulder, Maka slid her head down into his lap, turning over on her back so she could stare up at him. Soul let his abandoned arm fall, his hand cupping at her throat gently. "I'm going to guess the stunned silence isn't because I'm the best girlfriend in the world."

He let the liquid wash over his tongue again. "Actually, it sorta is." His hand drifted to her cheek, thumb rubbing against the defined cheekbone. "Sometimes you just throw me off guard with how good it can be. Not that the rest of our days are bad or boring, but there's a lot of little moments I have with you that I can barely wrap my head around it." His eyes lingered away, now focused on the flame that looked as if it could be glowing. "Sometimes happiness like that doesn't seem possible."

"But you're allowed to be happy, Soul." That little murmur struck him right in the face and he forced himself to take a slow sip hoping that the shock would melt away. "Is this like your loneliness?"

"Maybe," he breathed. "Actually, probably not. It's more like…" Soul's eyes fell back down to her, still slightly surprised by the calm smile on her face. Maka reached up a hand and slid it against his cheek to reward him for the glance her way, to encourage more words. "Do you feel happy?"

"A lot more often than I used to." Maka absently caressed his cheek with her fingertips.

"And… oh, man, don't take this wrong, Maka, but doesn't it feel weird sometimes? Like you're so used to the ugly, pent-up stuff that once it's gone, once it's replaced with the opposite it just feels impossible." The words didn't seem less jumbled off his tongue and Soul found his heart beating in his ears.

Maka brought her other hand to his chest, trying to soothe with every stroke of her fingers. "I think I kind of get it. It's like a muscle you're not used to working. It feels weird, sometimes painful, but also satisfying."

Soul snorted a soft laugh, "That strangely makes sense."

"All English majors are seriously trained in analogies." She attempted to furrow her brow but it almost instantly dissolved as a grin spread across her lips. "You're just going to have to get used to it, though."

Between that beautiful expression on her face and the way her fingers were slowly weaving warmth into his heart, Soul was having trouble following the previously heartbreaking conversation. "What?"

"Being happy. Get used to it. This is just the first birthday. You've got tons more of those and Christmases and anniversaries, too." Even though she had sunken into the comfort of this position, Maka moved up to sitting by sliding herself into his lap. She took the drink out of his hand, careful not to lose a drop in the process of putting it on the table. "I'll give you two more before you have to stop being gloomy when I give you gifts or shower you with attention."

"That's a pretty short time period to get my shit together." The sigh that followed was halfway to content, almost as if there was no worry there to be had.

"Well, my birthday doesn't count so you have until Christmas to get over it, Soul." She threw her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead to his. There were a few breaths of pause, Soul contemplating his original want, his hands slipping tentatively to the bottom of her shirt. Maka laughed as his fingers tickled at the sensitive skin of her side. "Where are you going to hang the picture?"

"Don't know, gotta think about it," he murmured, half losing himself in the way her skin felt under his fingertips as he dared to continue lifting up her shirt. "Maka, you remember what I said that day when I showed it to you?"

"We're all looking for a light." And it wasn't his fingers but the memory that brought the blush to her cheeks.

He let their lips meet, the pressure of her kiss building up the strength of the words behind his teeth. Soul forced himself to stop bringing his hands from her shirt to her face, cupping her cheeks delicately so he could stare into those green orbs. "You're the light."


	21. Cabin in the Woods

Way overdue! I'm sorry for the wait.

* * *

The only thing Soul had gotten in trouble for was the wet towels left on the bed, a diehard habit from his teenage years that while fixed by a maid in Catherine's house was now left for a woeful Maka to correct. Soul only had one rude awakening - the books. While he'd always assumed she had a few bookshelves full it wasn't until she unpacked box after box that he realized it wasn't a collection but an addiction. Both ended up not being a deal-breaker and as of mid-June, the anxiety of the approaching wedding barely perforated the comfort of their home with each other.

That's why the knot Maka was carrying that morning was so strange. Soul had sensed it, the quiet tightness in her and was on the fence, almost sure he was going to pry, not needing another Christmas on his hands especially since he didn't really plan on ever getting another concussion in his life. The best time to corner her was usually while she was reading which meant she had set aside a swath of time that he could easily turn into a discussion of her recent unsettledness.

Soul slipped down on the couch next to her, firm hands wheedling around her waist to pull her against his chest, angling his leg to get her as close as possible.

"Hey," she complained half-heartedly, shutting her book in the process.

"Tell me what's wrong," he murmured in her ear, sending a chill down her spine.

'_Nothing'_ wanted to be her first reaction, to guide his hands in motions that didn't make this just holding her in place so maybe the two of them could forget that she was holding tightly onto a thought in her mind. Instead, she eased back against him, letting those arms tighten around her. "Before the semester ended…"

"You're in trouble," he grumbled. "That's over a month worried about something."

"I know," she sighed out the admission of guilt. "Look, my professor suggested that, with my grades and since I liked the museum so much there's this hybrid Master's program…" She paused for another breath, using the time to draw a line down his arm, almost smiling at the goosebumps. "But it'd mean I'd finish in five years instead of the usual four."

"Like you'd hate another year of school," he grunted a laugh. "Especially if it means reading more books. Don't get why that'd make you worry."

She took the teasing with a soft smile, caressing his arm again. "You'll finish in four."

"Oh," Soul breathed out, the implications catching up with him quickly. "Who knows, maybe it will take me five. I mean, I barely passed that last math class." The joke bought him time but no humor, especially as she angled herself in his arms to stare at his face.

"What were you planning on doing when you finish?" She was holding her eyes open wide, refusing to blink just in case it pressed out any of the threatening moisture.

Soul let a short laugh tumble from his lips, "I planned my classes for next semester, that's about as far as I usually get." She pursed her lips in reply and he loosed a sigh before trying to force himself back to the logic she needed. "All I'm hoping is that I can get a job that doesn't require me to do the multiple that I'm doing now. Or who the fuck knows. I like what I'm doing. Maybe just… more time for you, for us would be nice." He carefully kissed her cheek.

"It would be selfish to make you stay another year just for me," Maka murmured, her eyes falling to the collar of his shirt.

"Where else am I going?" Soul used a hand to tap her chin up, forcing her eyes back up. "Not like I had some grand plans to go work in LA or New York after I graduated. I'm comfortable with what I've got. Not sure I need any more than that."

"I get that, but…" Maka tried to formulate another argument, this not exactly going the way her absurd mind had daydreamed about. He didn't seem trapped, cornered like she was forcing something on him. It came easily, like this whole drama that she had played out in her head was a lie.

"Maka, rewind for a second," Soul rolled his finger in the air for added effect. "Remember crazy me at the shower? Upset because you weren't planning on marrying me, a kind of permanent forever thing, right? You said the plan was staying together, maybe not that together, but together. Four years, five years, six years, kind of doesn't matter."

"So, me studying another year is no big deal?"

"The least of deals," Soul cleared some golden hair from her face and pressed it behind her ear. "The big deal is you let yourself get all worked up again. Get it through your skull, Maka," he took a bit of enjoyment out of poking her in the temple, delighted as she attempted to feign annoyance, "I love you. Gut reaction from me is never going to be we can't work it out."

But wasn't that just the seat of the entirety of her fear? The only fights she'd watched always had the same start and finish, the problem was put forth and regardless of all the screaming in between it was never resolved, never fixed, and just became another festering wound. Working things out was an alien concept and seeing him do it without hesitation always seemed to be something close to awe-inspiring to her, even though at this point it should be mundane.

"I love you, too." Holding her eyes open wasn't doing a thing, the liquid starting to puddle against her lower lids.

"Don't you dare cry," he threatened even though his fingers nimbly moved to her face to clear any tears that abandoned ship. "Look, when are you applying?"

"The application's due this week hence the…" She motioned in her own general direction, her mess on display.

Soul let out a long whistle. "And I thought I was a procrastinator. Let's go, get your laptop."

"But-"

"You don't want to?" Soul fingers tightened on her cheeks. "Tell me you don't want it and we won't but don't hesitate because you're still worried about us."

Maka let out a long sigh, taking a searching look in his eyes as she tried to find the words. "I want to."

Soul grinned before giving her cheek a gentle tap. "Laptop."

She didn't reply, slipping from his arms to walk across the room and retrieve her computer as ordered. When she sat down next to him he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, settling into the couch as she set to her work. Soul tried to keep his eyes off the screen, focused on his phone as he scrolled through the millions of options for entertainment. He sent off a few texts to Wes, to BS and the rest of the crew while listening to her fingers clacking at the keyboard. Just as he was about to sink into something close to boredom she made a few final clicks before shutting the lid.

"Done," she murmured before she leaned towards him, quickly catching his lips with hers. While Soul had been prepared with a quip his interest almost instantly diverted, his energy spent smartly on spacing out that kiss. He kept his attention there as long as he could, waiting until she patted gently at his chest. "Thank you."

"For nothing," he murmured.

She shook her head firmly, her hand coming up to float through his hair. "For understanding, for pushing."

Soul sighed contently, "Always."

* * *

The weekend before the wedding Soul considered renting out the old Victorian but got a little peeved at the price considering Wes had put them up there almost that entire holiday week and he could only imagine the price being more than what he was going to pay for an unimportant weekend in June. The idea of repeating the same activity kind of irked him anyway, striking him as sending the message that he didn't care to be creative enough. He'd also made the mistake of contacting Susanna to make sure he wasn't stepping on any toes, but instead throwing himself into a joint party. He settled on something that was as together but still separate as he could manage: renting cabins out in a just remote enough woods.

It was definitely out of reach of the city, a "destination" party as Susanna had squealed about, but it wasn't in danger of putting them on track for a horror film. A real grocery store (and, thankfully, a liquor store) existed in a twenty-minute radius and cell service was at least three bars, leaving them without the cause for cannibalism or worry of lack of contact with law enforcement. All in all, the survival rate was projected to be high, but as he left Maka that morning, he couldn't stop himself from prolonging, not just the kissing, but the soft caresses, the running of fingers through her hair until she was full of laughter.

"It's one night." Her voice was practically singing, so full of giggles that her words bubbled rather than flowed from her mouth.

Soul grunted in reply, trailing another line of kisses down her neck.

"My little bleeding heart romantic," she sang again. "Lovesick fool."

"Why do I keep coming back if all you do is insult me?" His teeth sunk into her skin, nibbling where collarbone met shoulder.

Maka could only give a breath sigh in reply as she pressed her hands to his chest, forcing them apart. "Save that for tomorrow night, alright?"

He desperately wanted to deny those fingers but instead, he pecked at her lips. "One night with the girls, and then back to our own cabin for the week."

"Yes, as you've said about eighty times by now. Isn't Wes waiting for you?" She pushed him a step back, laughing as he groaned into movement, grabbing his bag before opening the door. As a gift for the movement, she gave him a light pat on the ass, laughing, "I love you. See you when I see you."

* * *

The first thing Wes wanted to do was try out the water, one of Soul least favorite activities considering the amount of sunscreen it took him from turning into a lobster. But Wes had always been in love with the water, practically spending his whole summers submerged when the parents used to take them to the Hamptons, so Soul knew he wasn't getting out of the day without a soak. He was only dipping his feet in off the dock, watching as Wes was already speedily stroking out towards the middle of the lake.

Soul only begrudgingly slipped completely into the water on Wes's second lap. "Slow down. If you get tired and drown this weekend, Lizzie will never forgive me."

Wes finally gave up his form, turning to let himself float instead. "Who said I was anywhere close to tired?"

"Well, it's not like you're training for the Olympics." Soul hated the feeling of bobbing, the uncertainty of the float so he planted his feet in the mucky bottom, the water just settling at his chest. "This is supposed to be relaxing."

"That was," Wes insisted as he sent a playful wave of water his brother's way.

"You better not." But Soul should have known better than to give a warning because all those ever seem to do is spur an action further. So instead of another slow wave, Wes glided his hand across the top of the water, sending a sheet Soul's way. He barely turned his head to the side before it hit him, leaving him sputtering slightly. "Wes!" But even with the admonishment, Soul was hit with another spike of water, forcing him to duck under to avoid what he could only assume would be the next wave.

Soul had no strategy other than to pop back up, tossing a sheet of water at Wes. He could hear Wes's soft '_oof'_ as it connected, so he simply sent another, the moment completely devolving into a tumultuous squall of water in both directions. It wasn't until they heard the car pulling up that they both collapsed into laughter, Soul immediately starting the slow climb to the shore, throwing a smirk back over his shoulder at his brother. "Girls are here."

Wes bobbed in the water thoughtfully for a moment. "What's the look on Susanna's face?"

Soul glanced back, seeing Lizzie and Susanna first out of the car, his eyes waiting the extra second to see Maka finally emerge from the backseat. "Susanna, elated. Maka's hiding the pissed off."

"As long as that's not reversed," Wes rolled his eyes. "Susanna cross is a nightmare."

Soul cupped his hands around his lips, calling out jovially, "No girls allowed!"

All three heads turned, grins arriving on all three faces. Maka's faltered into a little of a gape, especially as Soul moved those hands through his hair to shake off the excess moisture. It'd been months, filled with nights in all different arrays of dressed and undressed but him standing there, saturated and smirking ear to ear brought her right back to that first time it hit her. _He's so handsome._ She let the fluttering sensation in her stomach move her feet forward, kicking up dust as she jogged towards him.

"I said you're not allowed," he chuckled.

Maka didn't answer, just continued forward until she was close enough to offer him only a whisper, "You've never looked sexier."

"What?" He grasped for her but she was off, quickly making her way back up to the girls as the second car pulled into the drive. "Hey! Maka!" This yell only awarded him a quick wave over her shoulder, leaving him red in the face and smirking like a fool.

"She didn't look so pissed off," Wes commented as he copied Soul's motion and smoothed the water out of his hair.

"Guess not," he chuckled. "You going over to say hi?"

"Unless it's bad luck, but I suppose I'll find that out from Susanna, queen of tradition." Wes fed Soul's laugh with another eye roll before starting to trek up to the cars.

Soul wavered, watching Maka moving shopping bags from the car to the closest cabin. He'd rented two the first night and four for the rest of the week, the girls in one tonight while he and Wes stayed in another. Sometime tomorrow, both Flore's and Susanna's boyfriends would be on the premises, making it a week-long couples date. That second half had been Susanna's contribution, but Soul settled himself with the idea that at least he could offer Wes one night of what he'd asked for.

He finally sauntered up to his brother, greeting each one of the girls with a head nod and a short wave.

"Maka, you're ignoring him!" Susanna called.

"I already said hello," she laughed with that pert, amused smile breaking across her lips.

"Yup, quota's already filled," Soul grinned back before turning his attention to Susanna. "She's all yours tonight, anyway. Doesn't want a thing to do with me."

This had genuinely piqued Susanna's interest, her face rapt. "Oh, are you two fighting?"

"Susanna, we have to work on your understanding of tone when people speak," Elena cooed as she clapped her hands on Susanna's shoulders. "I promise we'll return her in one piece."

"Thanks," Soul laughed, letting his eyes trail back to Maka. She was standing in the door frame with her arms crossed now, still that beautiful smile that he wanted so badly to kiss off her face, and she sent him another playful wave before disappearing back into the cabin. "Don't keep her too long."


	22. Think About It

I really apologize for this taking so long! Forgive me.

* * *

The day had actually been vastly interesting, or at least to Maka, as Flore and Liz led them through the surrounding forest for what could be considered a botanist's nature walk. Susanna and Elena hadn't seemed to enjoy it half as much, but as soon as the mimosas started pouring back at the cabin all was forgiven. After such a hard trek, not Maka's words but definitely Susanna's, it was apparently time for all the pampering that they were meant to have on such a trip. While Susanna and Elena set up the treats, a variety of chocolates and an assortment of spa supplies finished with various not entirely appropriate party games, Maka stood at the window sipping at her more juice than champagne.

She told herself she wasn't looking for him, just another glance at the beautiful scenery, but that happy little glimpse of him trotting after Wes into the cabin was an added bonus. Maybe he wasn't the only hopeless romantic.

"What are you smiling about?" Lizzie cooed from the kitchen as she was pouring herself another glass.

"Nothing," Maka tried on innocence but it didn't exactly fit. "It's just gorgeous outside. Soul made a good choice, that's all."

"He did," Lizzie smiled softly. "He's a good man, just like his brother, though I think their goodness might be where the comparison ends."

Maka rolled her shoulders in a slow shrug, taking another chance to glance at the other cabin, hoping for another appearance but seeing none. She turned back to Lizzie who was just finishing off preparing her drink, her lips pursing for a second in thought. "What is Wes like?"

"Oh, and can I again ask the question _'why the hell are you getting married?'_" Elena added from the couch as she threw her head back to look at the two women.

"Elena!" Susanna squealed.

"I'm not ragging on Wes," Elena corrected. "Just still wondering how Lizzie, our patron saint of never ever not in a million years will I consider matrimony, is getting married."

Lizzie offered a satisfying laugh and Maka gave in to her own giggle at the description. "Well, I suppose it's girl talk time, anyway, right?" Lizzie walked back over to the couch and squeezed between her sister and her best friend. Maka made the slow move to the loveseat with Flore facing opposite of them, suddenly feeling like she was settling down to storytime. "Wes is…" Lizzie swirled her drink with a sigh, "A lot of things. He's a hopeless romantic and I would almost say he loves too much, but I think that's simply a symptom of those awful parents of his."

Maka felt that statement more than heard it, that ache in her heart at the unexpected similarity. She had always assumed Soul to be the black sheep, left out of the love and yearning for it, but it almost seemed worse to realize that they'd both suffered and didn't even have the ability to find it in each other until now. _I wonder if it would help him to know that his brother is just like him._

"He doesn't go out of his way to be right about anything," Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows, "Does that make sense?"

"Not at all," Susanna huffed.

"I guess he doesn't enjoy being right, being superior, he enjoys the act of finding out, working towards fitting the best piece in the puzzle. He's a compromiser in everything." This brought a dreamy sigh to Lizzie's lips. "I think that's the first time I realized I could marry him was when every trouble I threw his way, everything that I thought would throw a wrench in the gears he simply sat down and logically figured it out." She nudged Susanna, "You think of Mom and Dad and you see two people who love each other but can never concede, always having to have a winner and a loser. I hated that." As Lizzie brought her eyes from Susanna out to Maka they widened. "Maka, are you alright?"

"I'm just-" Anything that could have come from her mouth after that was a lie, something scripted and clean, made for social niceties like this, but Maka knew her face was already betraying it all. Her eyes had that swimming feeling and no matter how much she fought against it there was no winning. "Sorry, my parents were the same way, or I should say _are_, because even though they're divorced it's… not very different," Maka let the sigh tremble from her mouth to punctuate that. But it wasn't just the idea of her parents, but it was the all too eerily similar description that seemed to match brother to brother again.

"Was it recent?" Lizzie murmured and Flore as if by extension put a gentle hand on Maka's arm.

"No, in my teens, but I don't think they actually fight less, just long-distance," Maka let out a spiteful laugh.

"Is that why you're so dead-set against marriage, too?" Those words may as well have been a ton of bricks, threatening to crush the air from Maka's lungs.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Susanna," Elena groaned.

"What? It's fair! She was awful avoidant when I brought it up at the shower," Susanna huffed.

Elena shook her head, "And that should have been your first clue that she didn't want to talk about it."

Maka bit her lip before letting the words squeeze from her throat. "It's alright, Elena."

"Don't let her bully you," Elena started but sighed. "Not everything is Susanna's business."

"Hey," Susanna started but upon receiving a glare from Lizzie fizzled to a stop.

"We were talking about Wes, anyway, weren't we?" Lizzie offered softly, sending a commiserative glance to Maka. "Even with all his traditionalist ways, I wasn't even sure _he_ wanted to get married for the same exact reasons. His parents aren't exactly the shining example of a healthy marriage either." Lizzie pursed her lips for a moment, hesitating but bringing her eyes back to Maka. "I think we hold on to those hurts and let them bleed into every facet of our lives whether we like it or not. I guess it was only when we realized that our marriage never had to be our parents' marriages, that we could dictate exactly what our marriage looked like and would mean to both of us, that we both changed our minds."

"And it doesn't hurt that he's handsome and rich to boot, right?" Elena raised her eyebrows at Susanna, getting the nod that she wasn't actually hoping to receive in reply to her sarcasm.

"It also helped that he asked _so many times_ that he wore me down," Lizzie laughed, her eyes wandering off to follow the trail of memories in her mind.

"How many is so many?" Flore blinked. "I could have sworn you said twice."

Lizzie shook her head quickly, "Formally, I suppose, twice. Big deals, both of them, and the second of those was the one that I accepted but… he liked to ask a million little times, like before we went to bed or when I brought home the perfect wine. For a little while, it seemed to follow '_I love you'_ more often than not."

"How soon did it start after you began dating?" Maka tried her best to infuse innocence in that question, even though her mind was making it far from it. It was obvious that Soul had already thought about it especially after his fit at the shower. _But it's too early, he knows that I know that._

"Well, we both know the Evans' men," she smirked. "'_I love you'_ took a while, a whole year in fact, even though he often told me he cared, that I meant a lot to him." Lizzie sent a knowing glance to Maka and nodded her head in reply. "But as soon as he let out the first, it was only a month before the initial big engagement attempt."

"And you told him '_no'_?" Susanna squealed.

"Not _no_," Lizzie sighed, "Just asked him to wait. To give me a little more time. We hadn't even discussed living together, France or the US or wherever, so I started those small steps afterward. First, we figured out how our lives could puzzle together, with his constant compromising, and then it wasn't all that hard to say yes."

While the rest of the room's mind seemed to be gushing at the romanticism, Maka found herself nibbling at her lower lip, wishing she'd put more champagne in her glass.

* * *

Soul was starting to reconsider the city altogether as he twirled the whiskey in his glass. It was actually the first moment of silence between them, both concentrating on the swirl of alcohol and the cooling of the night air. A citronella candle was the only light besides the girls' cabin and it was doing a better job at keeping the bugs away than actually illuminating the two of them. "Think the girls are enjoying themselves?" Wes was prodding at something as too much amusement fused into his words.

"Too much. Can hear them from here. Bet the whole cabin is going to be nursing a hangover tomorrow." He snorted a laugh before taking a sip from his glass.

"I'm not sure we're far from that ourselves." Wes tipped the bottle at him, eliciting another laugh from Soul. "At least a little quieter, though."

"I can start howling if you want," Soul shrugged. "I take my job as the best man very seriously and will do what I must." Another alcohol slicked laugh tumbled from Soul's lips as he let his head fall back against the Adirondack chair.

"Not necessary," Wes laughed. "Just glad to hear their ruckus which I think includes Maka's laugh as well."

Soul narrowed his eyes as if that would help his hearing, waiting to catch that beautiful throaty bit of joy that was distinctly Maka. "Yeah, she can have a good time when she wants to. Though I can't say she's one to usually get drunk. It'll be interesting to see her tomorrow."

"Does she have many friends?" Wes was innocently sipping as soon as the question came out of his mouth.

He let his head roll to the side, trying to examine Wes's face in the low light. "Not really, one she's close with from school, Tsubaki, but other than that… Why do you ask?"

"She seems to stand alone," Wes offered. "Lizzie commented that when arranging all the dates Maka's calendar wasn't an issue. She seems open besides school and you, of course."

"Well, she…" Soul paused, deliberating what exactly could flow freely between brothers. "I don't think she has anybody, Wes. I'm lucky I had you trying all these years, but I think her parents pay attention when it suits them which is even less than Mom and Dad bother us. And friends… it's not like she can't make them, especially when you consider how fucking sweet she can be, but I think she plays it safe."

Wes sighed before letting that sit in silence for another moment before finally letting out the whisper, "She has you."

"And you and Lizzie. She kind of made it pretty clear she wants us to be a little family, just maybe not with mom included." Regardless of bringing up his mother, Soul managed a glowing smile as his mind lingered over her beautiful admission of what she considered selfishness.

"Huh," there it was again, that delight mixed with a question that wasn't being asked.

"What's that about?" Soul narrowed his eyes at his brother before taking another long sip from his glass.

"No, it's just nice to hear one's own opinions validated," Wes shrugged.

"What _opinions _am I _validating_?" Soul tried his best to copy his brother's tone.

"I just remember someone balking at the idea of marriage and now we're talking about families." Wes delivered that as casually as a fast-food order but it hit Soul like a court sentence.

He couldn't stop those strange feelings from Wes's shower from resurfacing. "Yeah, well, while she was clear about the family she was also pretty clear that marriage isn't exactly her favorite thing."

"Ah," Wes nodded his head slowly. "Lizzie was the same way. Firmly against it. Refused me a few times."

"A few times?" Soul croaked. "Why the hell did you keep trying if she said no?"

"Now I am certainly not advocating the idea of wearing a woman down," Wes laughed, "but I honestly knew that it wasn't an issue of Lizzie not loving me. Thankfully she'd said it herself but at the same time, she never gave me the inclination in any other way that I wasn't the one for her. Instead, I realized it was another spot for compromise."

Soul's face screwed up incredulously. "How do you compromise on marriage?"

Wes shrugged, "You just do. I had to take the time to find out what Lizzie wanted out of the future, what I wanted out of it, and then a balance of the two before I could offer her what our marriage would look like instead of just offering her the traditional idea."

That only brought a sigh to his lips, "What our marriage would look like?" _Oh, fuck, don't even fall into that thought. She said 'no,' or at least 'not now' so stop, don't even._ The mental berating didn't much matter, that snowball of an idea already turning into bolder-size as it rolled through his brain. _It wouldn't be any different from now, would it? Living together, figuring out the day to day as easy as pie because we tackle problems. We're a team to begin with so that would be… _"Easy."

* * *

With hangovers on all sides, the second day was a quiet gathering of both groups. None of them actually even remotely matched the boisterousness of the night before until at least dinner time, so Soul wasn't sure if Maka's quietness was a screaming headache or the thoughts that he was sure he saw running behind her eyes. He had enough of his own thoughts too, so prying was better left for later, but even as he started to drift asleep that night, Maka pressed next to him in their own cabin, Soul couldn't find the right question to ask.

"Soul…?"

He lifted one eyelid, finding satisfaction in the tone he'd waited for all day. "Yeah?"

"What if I got pregnant?"

Soul choked out a sharp laugh as he turned over on his elbow face hovering over hers, "You trying to tell me something?"

"No," she shook her head slowly. "Just hypothetically."

"Hypothetically?" His eyebrows furrowed. "You _hypothetically_ pregnant would mean we had a lot of talking to do, I guess. Figuring things out."

Maka's eyes wandered to the ceiling, trying to avoid the completely confused glare on his face. "Be more specific."

"Again, you trying to tell me something?"

Another slow shake followed by, "Again, just hypothetically."

Soul let out a long huff of air, trying to play a scenario that between her birth control and his condom usage should be fairly impossible. "Well, deciding, do you want to carry a baby? That looks like hard work that only you would have to do. Do we have enough money for that? Do we have the time for that? Just logistics. Then maybe, excitement? Or possibly me being murdered by your father?"

That at least elicited a laugh from her. "What if I got a job a million miles away?"

"A million isn't possible," he chuckled as he drew a line on her collarbone in an attempt to get her eyes back to his but still no luck.

She rolled her eyes, "Far away."

"We'd figure it out," he shrugged.

"Be more specific," she urged again.

He wished he had time between these hypotheticals to start to build what she was getting at, but his mind was drawing blanks at this strange game of twenty-questions. "At the risk of getting me hit, I'm going to repeat what I've said before, Maka, I love you. Gut reaction from me is never going to be that we can't work it out. You need to move? We move, I guess. I pretty much can't imagine something I'd be doing that would be more important than being with you."

"I love you, too," but it came with such a forlorn sigh that his playful hand moved to her neck, tilting her chin his way and finally forcing those eyes off the ceiling.

"Can I ask a question? A _hypothetical_."

"And I shouldn't guess that you're trying to tell me something because of it," Maka murmured.

"No, purely hypothetical. Don't get any ideas and don't quote me, and…" he trailed off with a sigh. "Just humor me, and be specific."

She took a slow breath before running her hand up his arm, fingertips lighting up his skin. "Afterward, will you make love to me?"

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything else," he chuckled.

"Then ask," she whispered.

He hesitated and thought about tilting her lips to his first but knew all that would do was dissolve his courage by giving him the excuse to move on to her request. "Since we got here… I know Wes has said some stuff, probably the girls too since it's the topic of the hour. So, _hypothetically_, has it crossed your mind? Have you thought about it more than just my temper tantrum at the shower?"

"I don't think you know what a hypothetical is," her voice was small but a tick of an amused smile had started at the corner of her mouth.

"Guess not." He rubbed his thumb along her neck.

"And '_it'_ is kind of vague," another short upturn to her lips.

He huffed, "Look, you're asking me about babies, about moving, about a future that's somewhere out there for us so I'm just doing the same thing. You're not pregnant, we're not leaving the new apartment, and we're sure as hell not engaged but do you think about it? _Would_ you think about it?"

"I've thought about it," Maka made all the amusement fall from her face because this wasn't about teasing him. "But you're asking me to keep thinking about it?"

Soul's hand slid from her neck to her cheek and into her hair as a wistful sigh broke his lips. "I guess I'm asking, I don't know. I know you're hurt. I know it's not an _us_ thing but a mom and dad thing. Except we're not them, so don't toss it out the window, OK? I'm not saying you _have_ to change your mind, but I want you to at least be letting it be in your mind. Weighing it."

Maka nodded slowly, "Alright."

"Yeah?" The surprise was genuine and the hope tensed in his stomach.

"It's not an outrageous request," she brought back a hint of that smile before lifting her head just far enough to brush against his lips.

That was Soul's cue, the '_shut up and kiss me, stupid'_ sign that he was starting to know a little too well. Right then, touching her, slowly undressing her should have been his prime objective and while his hands worked his mind still spun tight over the snippets of the hope he'd started to build. He was capable of love, of loving her, and maybe he could do it forever and maybe she would let him.


	23. A Long Time

Short update but I wanted to tease you with a little more.

* * *

Even without Soul's request, it was meant to be the newest gnawing question at the back of her mind. With the other couples there, Flore's boyfriend Kei, Susanna's boyfriend Andre, and Elena's partner Lorelei having arrived during the hangover, it should have been easy to keep it just to the sidelines. It was supposed to be a just before bed, a worried trail of thoughts that kept her up while he snoozed away unknowing but instead it was what filled space every time her mind wasn't fully occupied with the activities. It lined her glass every time she emptied it and whispered when there were no voices to be heard.

During the morning swim as most of the group made waves, Lizzie sat with Maka on the pier, only offering short interruptions to silent stretches of watching the fun. In Maka's head, part of the question was becoming a steady, long comparison between Soul and Spirit, a set of thoughts she'd never even ventured towards but couldn't veer away from. Cheating was her father's cardinal sin and it cut her to the core, the idea that you could claim such absolute love and then allow for wandering eyes.

As she watched Soul now she could see it plain as day, girls clad in bikinis and his eyes never searching anywhere but their faces. When looking, he only had certain expressions and tones of voice, all absent of the searing warmth of his attention. She watched it then as he spoke to Flore, who Maka would consider the most beautiful of the bunch, only the half-smile on his lips and eyes that looked on with a muted apathy. Even with women she assumed he cared for like Kim, Soul's voice might soften, a tone particularly for those he cherished, but there was something about his eyes that never changed.

To punctuate that thought, Soul turned his sights to her as that cool stare burned away to an intent gaze, a smirk blossoming. "Am I gonna have to pull you in?"

"You do and you'll regret it," Maka laughed.

Soul bobbed over to her, his hands planted to the dock next to her thighs. "Watch it, that sounds like a challenge." His eyes ticked over to Lizzie, checking her line of sight as it spanned across the water and turned his eyes back to Maka. '_You OK?'_ he mouthed at her.

Maka nodded as she let the comparison fall away and slid into the water, finding joy in his arms.

* * *

The fire was absolutely unnecessary except for the fact that you couldn't possibly enjoy marshmallows without it, so Soul had kept it low to make sure that it didn't accentuate the summer heat to the point of being absolutely unbearable. Most of them were still in half-soaked bathing suits allowing for at least a little reprieve and Soul was not so candidly stealing glances at the dips and curves laid bare by Maka's suit. It was a bikini, but probably one of the most modest he'd seen in his life. Maka wasn't even paying attention so he stole all he wanted, her focus on Susanna who had been once again sharing an Andre story since there was no escaping this pre-wedding week without every conversation being about _something_ romantic.

"I heard you two had a rather romantic Christmas," Susanna's talk finally grabbed his attention as well.

"Sure, a black eye and a concussion are real romantic," Soul quipped back as he grabbed his beer from the arm of the chair, taking a swig.

Maka laughed, "I mean, it was more than that, but Soul was definitely-"

"I wasn't romantic," he grumbled but broke into a smirk, not even able to kid himself.

"Then let us decide," Flore curled a smile around her cup, already far gone on yet another bottle of champagne that had been passed around.

Soul groaned but Maka waved his ridiculousness away. "We weren't supposed to be seeing each other at all. And I'm up north, so the drive alone was almost three hours, but somehow he got the idea to come surprise me at the bar I was meeting a friend at."

"Marina told me I wasn't being romantic enough," Soul grumbled to Wes as an aside.

"Marina's usually right," Wes laughed back.

"Do you want to tell the story?" Maka cooed at him.

Soul shook his head and mimed sealing his lips before flicking the pretend key at her.

Maka delved into the meat of the story, reliving the fear of being grabbed and the absolute terror at watching him fight. As she continued to produce each minute detail since the faces around the fire seemed to be completely enraptured, Soul snuck his hand out and gently touched her arm. He was running his fingers up and down until the goosebumps formed, trying to focus more on them than the recounting of his borderline idiotic heroism. Soul didn't need it retold, didn't need them to know because while he was sure they'd '_oh'_ and '_ah'_ over the dreamy content, he wasn't some kind of-

"Like a white knight on his shining steed," Susanna gushed right on cue.

"It wasn't like that," Soul grimaced. "It was just-"

"The first time in a long time that I _knew _someone loved me," Maka slowly brought her eyes to him, a tentative smile coming to her lips. "And would do anything for me, even without asking."

"Yeah," Soul couldn't help but gape as those emerald eyes danced with the glow of the fire.

"_So_ romantic," Flore burst before elbowing Kei. "When are you going to punch someone for me?"

"Hopefully never," Kei shook his head quickly. "And since when is romance all about fighting? What about our second date, the one at the park…"

And the stories continued, all vying for the place in the bracket of romance. Elena, the most level headed and self-proclaimed least romantic, had started a running list with on and off help from Lizzie. Soul barely heard any of it, his mind wrapped around Maka's summation of their story and that tidbit from Wes. _She seems to stand alone so how long was a long time? _The hatred for it rumbled inside of him, that need to protect from a past that he couldn't possibly be erased.

"This fire is too hot," Maka's lamenting finally echoed in his ear as her hand grabbed his. "Want to go back in for a little?"

"Sure," Soul shrugged away what he could of the thoughts before letting her pull him to his feet. The party didn't seem to notice the absence, just soft waves off as they walked into the darkness. The lake was fairly still, the water slow to let go of the heat leached from the day's sun but it was better than standing in front of the flame. Maka led him out to about chest deep before letting go of his hand to dip back to float.

"You were thinking too hard," Maka murmured up to the sky.

"Sure I was," Soul shrugged as he watched her bob on the surface.

"Didn't care for my retelling?"

"Story was fine." Soul played with the mud between his toes for a moment before moving closer to her but not enough to disrupt her. "I'm not the first guy you've dated."

She furrowed her brow for a moment. "No."

"And there probably wasn't a huge gap in time between me and them…" Soul sighed, unsure of what this was sounding like but again unable to just spit out an idea.

The lines on her forehead became more pronounced. "I didn't date _a lot_, but OK, yes, I guess the last time I went out on a date was a month before we met and there'd been three or four guys last year that I kind of saw regularly… Why?"

"You didn't date them for long." He hated the way that sounded and could see her bristle.

Maka dropped her feet to look at him rather than the sky. "They weren't worth dating for long." Even as the comment snapped back she couldn't help but infer the positive. "You are."

Soul shook his head, "I wasn't looking for a compliment."

"I didn't think you were, just saying the truth." Maka closed the space between them and as soon as her fingers touched his chest she could feel him relax, the jumbled mess of words there finally clicking together with the help of her caress.

"I just can't figure out how no one's loved you," he murmured. "You're, well, _you_, Maka. It's hard to imagine that anyone who came before me didn't take one look, spend one day, and realize you're worth taking a brick wall to the head for. I'd do it again, a million times and in a million different situations, you know?"

She laughed softly, "Please try not to. I think a million times would leave your brain a little scrambled."

"I just meant you're right, I'd do anything for you, but being the first one, I actually kind of hate that." He pressed his hand over hers as if it would soothe the way his heart ached for the next part. "It's rare, but when you let it out, how lonely you've been, it fucking devastates me. I keep thinking what it must have been like up until now, as a kid, even-"

"You were lonely, too," she tried to remind him in an effort to deflect. As with every time he circled closer to her hurt she wanted to push away from it.

"For different reasons," Soul corrected. "I still had Wes breathing down my neck, ready to give me love but from the way that you tell it nobody was trying with you. Because how long was a long time, Maka?"

_A long time._ Her lip trembled as she tried to isolate the last time she'd had the same feelings as over Christmas, that surety that someone was with her, not necessarily romantically, sexually, but a connection that couldn't be severed. Sure, the assumption was her parents, and that connection had been there when she was younger when they were happier, but as that faded so did the proof, the reminders of dedication forgotten with all the hurt and the pain obscuring it. "Maybe a few years before the divorce." That stung profoundly and her mind threatened to tell her limbs to pull away but she was frozen, the words draining everything from her body.

The time hit Soul like a slap in the face. "_Fuck_," was all he could utter as he felt it all for her as if her touch was feeding him every last bit of the emotional memories, the endless fights, the bitter secrets.

"Soul, it's alright-" she started the murmur but his hands were suddenly cupping her cheeks, cutting off anymore from her.

"It's _not_ alright," he urged back. "It's _not_ going to happen again, you hear me?" She could tell his voice was straining, ready to yell but fighting against it as the party still laughed lively behind them. "And you're never going to have to ask for it from me." Maka couldn't gauge what was more surprising, the burning in his eyes or the way he immediately crushed his lips against hers as the words left his mouth.

His hand had started their traditional route to running through her hair, threatening to mess up the bun she had created to keep the water from saturating it when the wolf-whistle broke them apart, signaling again that they weren't alone.

"Get a room," Elena called, followed by another whistle and assorted chatter.

Maka let out a trembling laugh as she planted her hands on his chest, forcing a separation rather than a show. Soul let his hands fall weakly back into the water, "Mind your business!" he complained.

Some playful '_oh's_ replied.

"Soul…" Maka pulled his attention away from the staring crowd, the ruckus of laughter. "I love you."

As Soul looked at her, it was hurt there that he was expecting, the echo of what he had been feeling for her a second ago, but the glow there was a surprise. Maka was smiling, not even a threat of tears in her eyes and a fiery blush on her cheeks as if they'd transported back to that first lengthy hug outside her dorm. It suddenly hit him that it wasn't the joking crowd behind them urging on some kind of embarrassment but just pure joy, happiness wiping away some of that old, caked-on heartache. He gave her back a smile that reflected hers before emphasizing each word, "I love you."


	24. The Rehearsal

The rest of the week in the cabin finished very much the same, with no broken bones and not too many bug bites. Soul planned for the cars to pick them up right from the woods, but the rest of the wedding party opted to leave a day earlier than Maka and Soul. He actually relished the opportunity and made sure that since no social obligations called the majority of the day was spent in bed, reminding her exactly how much he loved her. By the time they left the morning of the rehearsal dinner, he was still busy whispering promises in her ear as his mind hoped and prayed that Catherine Evans would be too busy for sabotage.

Extravagant was a complete understatement. Soul had been sure that would be the case from the beginning and was mostly used to his parents' opulence but this was above and beyond and they'd only just made it to the rehearsal dinner. All of Wes's descriptions fell short, the building that their town car pulled up to looking closer to a medieval castle than a country club. It was sprawling, ancient-looking stone covered with ivy framed by long arrow-slit windows and turrets that reached up like nails into the sky. To put it as simply as possible, it was a fairytale, and Soul could do nothing more than walk Maka through it.

Maka, of course, was beyond speechless, her green eyes stretched wide to take in each sight. Without Soul's guiding hand, she would have been apt to walk right into walls, too interested in the architecture and design to even think of her own footing. "Earth to Maka," Soul made one last attempt as the host was leading them down a long hallway that glittered with stained glass windows to the main dining room.

"I know," she whispered breathlessly, her hand coming to her cheek. "It's just amazing."

Soul wished he could see it through her lens, the wonder at the beauty of his surroundings rather than glomping onto the worry of the expectations for the weekend. "So are you," he murmured, savoring the last moment he thought he'd get for a while with a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Romantic," she cooed, enjoying the momentary scowl she got in return.

"Maka!" It was a swift and short call from Susanna that snapped her out of the enjoyment of their moment.

"That's already my cue," Maka whispered as she detached from his almost unrelenting grasp.

He watched as she hurried her steps towards the group of girls, leaving him to mourn her absence before muttering to himself, "Guess it's me and Wes." Soul scanned the room for Wes before finding him intently waving. He moved slowly over to the group of men, one face he vaguely recognized, Shinji who Soul knew was a concert pianist who'd dueted with Wes a few times, while the others were alien. It turns out the men were more Catherine picks, Chase from Wes's college days and Vincent from prep school. Both, of course, had mothers or fathers that required ass-kissing from Catherine Evans, though how that was fulfilled by being included in a wedding party Soul certainly couldn't figure out. More intricacies of social etiquette that Soul never wished to understand.

It was thankfully still just the time to stand around and chat, Soul's eyes surprisingly not on Maka but his mother, watching her trail along to the different groups and giving orders. _Stay away from her_, he urged mentally at the back of that brunette, perfectly styled bun.

"Saw you come in with the blond."

Soul let his eyes slink from his mother over to Chase, the dictionary definition of rich kid snob, leaving Soul completely unenthused at the prospect of where this conversation was going. "My girlfriend, Maka."

"She's cute," he whistled a little. "And doesn't look too stuck up. Sorority girl?"

"He's slumming it," Vincent corrected. "Heard she's a nobody."

Bearing his teeth seemed like the only option and Soul had to fight to make it look like a smile. "I was looking for a brain, not money," he managed to grumble out.

Chase patted him on the shoulder, "Eh, you're still young. You're allowed at least one of those before you have to get serious."

_Like I'm in need of somebody with a dowry!_ He barely kept the words from spitting out, especially as Vincent and Chase devolved into listing their own _experiments_, girls who didn't deserve them but at least 'got a taste of the goods' as the cringeworthy line went. Soul attempted a step back, positioning himself closer to Shinji. "Who are you walking with?" After the last display of character, Soul was aching for a particular answer.

Shinji nodded over towards the girls. "Ah, Maka, your girlfriend, right? Lizzie made a fuss."

Soul was able to unclench his fists. _Yeah, because if it wasn't me it better not be some slimeball frat boy. _"Probably because she wanted to see Elena deck one of the preps over there."

Shinji let out an amused chuckle. "Hopefully someone will."

Soul breathed another sigh of relief and settled into odds and ends conversation with Shinji, eyes flitting between an appropriate amount of eye contact and his dutiful watching of his mother.

He bristled when she started the walk towards the bride's group but thankfully the wedding planner interrupted, raising her voice over the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time we got started with the walkthrough. If you'll all follow me."

After the woman led them all into the ceremony room that boasted beautiful stained glass which created a medley of colors in the daylight, it was marionette time. Each one of them was positioned, guided through every simple action by the bark of this stranger who was probably making more money that Maka could ever imagine. She was pleased to be standing next to the man Soul hadn't looked pained while talking to and Shinji made quiet conversation with her when it wasn't their turn to be yelled at. The biggest relief was the exhilaration on Lizzie's face that seemed to feed right into Wes, making for an adorably antsy bride and groom to be, all giggles and smiles.

_Lizzie was never planning on getting married and look at her!_ Her mind was trying to plant the seeds of more of those thoughts, and Maka tried to steal her focus back to being a bridesmaid. She was lucky her shoe felt uncomfortable, rubbing her foot the wrong way as she walked and the pain concentrated her attention. Of course, there wasn't a moment to play with it or look because before she knew it, there was more shuffling, more dictation for standing and talking. Luckily, champagne was already being passed around, a small blessing that Maka took full advantage of. She was two and a half glasses in by the time the ceremony had run through, barring herself from any more as that delightful tingling feeling was taking over her head.

Maka felt Soul before she heard him, his hand pressing at the small of her back while his lips practically touched her ear. "Stay away from the other two."

"I could tell you didn't approve," Maka giggled. "You have to learn to control your face a little better."

Soul grunted. "You're a little drunk."

"A little, and no more, I swear," she murmured back to him.

"Don't sweat it. Give it an hour and we'll all be drunk." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek as he tapped his glass to hers. "Just make sure to stay conscious enough that I can grab a few more kisses."

"Will do." She grinned and watched him turn away, settling back into a quiet conversation with his brother.

There were only a few more directives before the group was allowed to trickle back into the main hall and actually start the finely catered meal. Thankfully this meant that Maka could finally be at Soul's side, who immediately snuck her hand under the table before she could even have the thought to search for his. "I don't want to give this speech," he mumbled in her ear as he leaned close.

"You practiced _forever_," Maka whispered back, "You'll do great. He'll love it."

"It's sappy," he groaned.

"It's supposed to be sappy," Maka laughed.

He was about to grumble again when the first glass clinked and Susanna stood, commanding the attention of the table. Soul wasn't sure if he was elated or terrified to have her go first, a precedent either set or a bar lowered. It took the same saccharine route that Maka had promised him things like this did, telling cute anecdotes about a childhood full of sisterly love as tears filled a few eyes at the table. It ended with applause, liquid actually rolling down cheeks instead of swimming in eyes, and a warm embrace between sisters.

Eyes turned to Soul and he slowly stood, his hand still clutching Maka's like a lifeline. "I guess this is where I'm supposed to tell some embarrassing story about Wes, or about our childhood growing up together, but I think I'm better off pointing out what I didn't realize about Wes until we were grown: there's nobody in this world who knows how to love better than he does. Honestly, he loves you whether you deserve it or not, whether you think you need it or not, and definitely with an intensity that you never expect. It's never selfish either, not loving because he's looking for the same in return, just always letting out what fills his heart without doubt and without restraint."

Soul was happy to turn his attention from Wes, who was definitely struggling through Soul's description, to Lizzie. "And it only took the first time meeting Lizzie to realize that I couldn't imagine a better person to get that love than her. I think it's safe to say that they are a matched pair, two people who need each other not just for the sake of needing but to make one another better. I'm happy that Wes has the kind of person who he can love to his fullest. To Wes and Lizzie." Soul raised his glass, getting that one last look in at Wes who was busy fighting with a trembling lip. He leaned over to him, sure he couldn't announce it to the world but knowing he wanted it said, "I love you, Wes."

The lean wasn't necessary anymore as Wes stood, grabbing Soul into his arms. "I love you, too, Soul."

Maka released him, her own eyes watering as the brothers embraced. The evolution from the moment where she'd first laid eyes on Wes to this one tumbled through Maka's mind. It welled up inside of her that this was what family was, rough edges rounded out by love instead of honed by pain and fear. A jealous part of her wished she could be right in the middle of that moment but she watched it happily nonetheless.

As Soul released Wes and sunk back into his seat he leaned towards her and pressed his lips against her cheek. "Thank you."

"You mostly wrote the speech, I just encouraged," she murmured.

He pulled away as he shook his head slowly, bringing a hand up to clear his face. "I meant for helping me get back to my brother."

"Soul…"

"Don't argue," he shook his head again. "Can't, anyway, it's time for dinner." With speeches out of the way, it cleared the landing for food, plates almost instantly materializing in front of each person. Soul was still a little sniffly as he ate, a task that took longer as he allowed one of his hands to constantly roam back to Maka, running a line down her side or her arm as an intermission between bites.

Maka took his words to heart as she continued to sip through her champagne, no longer considering the pacing as the room was slowly devolving in a real party instead of formality. _We all came together at the same time, and now if I said we were a family, there wouldn't be an argument from any of them, would there?_

With the food through and nothing more than conversation left to have, Soul turned to whisper something in Wes's ear before cupping her elbow. "Get some air with me."

"Of course," Maka cooed, the champagne fizzing in her head. She let him pull her to her feet and guide her away from the table towards the glass doors to the patio. As soon as she reached the stone walkway along the side of the hall, the flagstone coming as uneasy terrain, Maka grabbed on to him. "I need to fix my shoe."

Soul pressed her back into the slit of the window, forcing her to sit on the sill. "Just let me take a look."

"Ah, the handsome prince is going to try the slipper on the princess?" The champagne had most certainly gone to her head, the giggles trickling from her lips wholeheartedly.

"You're _so_ drunk," he smirked before taking a knee, lifting her ankle up in what little light was streaming from the next door window. "I think I can fix it." He played with the clasp, unwinding the ridiculous twirling strap to her shoes before rewinding it without the kink she must have left in it with the rush of getting ready, forgotten until now in the anticipation of the night. "There. Feel better?"

Maka let out a long sigh, "It would be better if this night could finally be over."

"Soon." Soul gave into temptation, letting his hand drift from her ankle up her leg. "Stick to water from now on, that way when I get you upstairs to the room…"

"Soul," she chastised, grabbing at the hand that was disappearing up her dress and taking it in hers. "You're starting trouble." Maka leaned down, trying to keep herself steady as she bent just enough to almost reach his lips.

"What are you doing?" It was a shriek that almost sent Maka back through the window, saved by Soul's firm hand.

"Mom?" Soul slowly got up from crouching, rubbing the dirt off of his knee.

"What were you doing?" Catherine repeated, motioning towards Maka as she sat dumbfounded, looking at the fear melding into anger on Catherine's face.

"Just-" But Soul stopped as Maka grabbed his shirt, pulling him back a little.

"Help me down," she tugged at him again until he did what he was told. Maka wasn't all ease and grace, still feeling the alcohol surging through her veins, but she was still keenly aware of what just happened. She had felt it for just a second, that moment when he knelt down in front of her that Hollywood swell that started with '_will you'_ glancing across her mind. There had maybe been a little of that irrational hope there, even though she'd promised herself it was just an idea she was thinking about, a future somewhere far down the road.

Maka walked towards Catherine, foot feeling better after Soul's fix, the thought making the smile solid on her face. "Catherine-" The words didn't have a chance.

"Did he propose to you?" It was a shrill but still quiet enough that Maka considered it hadn't radiated past them.

But it had, Soul choking out a huff of air, "Mom-"

"No," Maka glided over Soul's answer, sending a hand back to pat at his chest.

"He was kneeling and you-"

"He was fixing my shoe," Maka answered slowly but the smile never left her face.

Catherine looked from Maka to her son, sending the question over Maka's shoulder. "You didn't propose to her?"

"No," Maka repeated. She could feel her hackles rising, puffed out and protective even without Soul's aid. "And maybe you should just go back to the rehearsal dinner, Catherine, because whatever you thought you saw, you didn't." Maka felt Soul's hand close around her arm, tugging wordlessly until she turned her head. "It's OK."

"It's not alright!" Catherine took a step forward and attempted to grab at Maka. The drunkness actually helped, sending Maka more than a step back, steadied by Soul's hold on her. "Tell me you're not engaged!"

"We're not," Maka repeated, her tone unrestrained and her voice almost a shout.

Catherine blinked at the reaction before taking another step forward. "Because you wouldn't, you can't possibly expect to be engaged to him?"

"Mom!" Soul started but stopped, feeling Maka practically punch him in the gut with her hand as it flailed back.

"We're not engaged," Maka repeated, enunciating each word. "But that doesn't mean it's never going to happen."

"Tell me now that you won't get engaged to him," Catherine hissed through her teeth.

"If you think it's so terrible, so impossible, then you shouldn't need me to confirm it." Maka took a shaky step forward, feeling Soul try to hold her back but still reaching toe-to-toe with Catherine. "Remember, he's deeply incapable of loving someone, anyway, right? So why should it matter?"

"Maka-" Soul didn't stand a chance, his words no longer holding any weight, no longer the guard dog in this spat. Besides that night in the alley with her father, he'd never actually seen her pissed off, but with the red flaring at her throat and her hands starting to clench into fists at her side he was already sure he never wanted to see it again.

"No, Soul, that's what she said and she should answer for it," Maka flexed her jaw, feeling only a little satisfaction in the grinding of her teeth. "If he can't love anyone, if I'm such trash, then worrying about us getting married should be the last thing on your list, Catherine."

"He isn't in your league," Catherine spat. "I don't know how you've come to wield the power over him that you do but it's not going to last - I refuse to let it last."

"He's a man, and I'm a woman, and that's the only league we're in." Maka flailed her arm back again, almost batted Soul in her attempt to motion towards him. "And do you know what power I have? I let him be _him_. I love him for who he is and not some expectation of what I want him to be."

Catherine stumbled over any words she could give in return, instead turning her eyes to her son. "Are you going to let her speak to me like this?"

Soul was slow, his flexing fingers on Maka's bicep before starting the gradual pull again, easing her a step back from his mother. He softly brought his hand to Maka's face, getting her to look his way, finally letting her focus on his existence long enough to pull her from the defensive. After he watched her take a breath, Soul turned his head to Catherine. "Did you say that, Mom?"

Catherine startled, her eyes blinking widely at him. "What I said isn't important, what she-"

"Did you say it, Mom?" It wasn't a shout but the chill, the strange even temper to his voice made it even more shocking than any volume. "You told her I couldn't love anybody?"

"Soul, what I meant was…" but there wasn't an explanation, Catherine's face pulling in tight as she found the words she wanted didn't exist.

The painful laugh hiccuped from his throat before he ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Go back to the party, Mom. Go back right now."

Catherine reached for him but he recoiled. "Soul-"

"I'm not asking." There it was, that deep vacant voice, the demand without emotion but certainly with threat. It set Maka's teeth on edge. "Go inside."

Catherine took a step back, her eyes moving from one to the other, then took a tentative second step. Maka didn't wait, couldn't even generate enough care to want to wait to see her go, she just turned and grabbed onto Soul desperately. "Soul, I'm sorry."

But Soul was watching Catherine intently, his cold eyes following her another step back, then another until she'd slunk back into the party. As soon as her shadow disappeared he crashed into Maka, forcing her against the wall in a desperate press. His mouth was on hers, crushing, demanding, searching as his hands crumbled useless against the stone behind her. It hurt her, not just the intensity but the way she could taste his pain, his agony as those words repeated through his head. When they parted he was yelling, his ability for any of that learned control thrown to the side. "She's wrong, I can! I do love you," the words tapered off into a wounded howl.

Maka brought her hands to his face, trying to soothe, fingers searching for some kind of softness to grasp onto but his jaw was hard-set and his eyes still looked cold, somewhere else. "I know, I know," she tried to shush him as her fingers gently touched his lips.

"I'm trying _so hard_ and she won't see it," his voice was still strangely icy, no intonation that she could hear. "I love you, I'm trying to be good to you."

"You are," Maka tried again but found the words falling uselessly off him.

Soul pulled back his hand, making a fist and driving it back into the stone next to Maka, feeling the splinter of pain as his knuckles connected. "Fuck!" He drew back again and on the second connection the skin split, starting the trickle of blood from his hand.

"Stop," Maka whispered desperately, her hands coming to his lapels to push him far enough away from the wall that another jab was out of reach.

"You didn't tell me," he whispered before letting it fall into a pained laugh. "I knew she said something to you but I always thought it was about you, but it was me, _me_…"

Maka moved her hands from his chest to his face, pulling his concentration from that deep well inside himself to her eyes. "It wasn't about you. She was talking about the Soul that she always envisioned, not the person you actually are. That was right after you saved me from the fight, right before you were making sure we felt _a certain way_ about each other." She brought a tentative smile to her face, watching as that disturbing coolness started to disappear from his eyes. "And we both know that's not when you started caring. Sometimes it feels like you cared from the moment we met. You didn't love me then but you were already soothing, connecting from the moment you sat next to me in lab."

"Oh, Maka…" He was thawing, that uncontrollable rage starting to wither away as if her fingers held some kind of key to his heart, a wavelength that calmed his mind. The ache across his knuckles made it hard to clutch but he did it anyway, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her tightly.

Maka let her arms rub at his sides, running along his ribs as she managed a soft laugh against his neck. "I'm almost convinced you have too much love, Soul. You just haven't been allowed to have it. Between your parents pushing it away and you hiding it away, and you're just about bursting with it now."

He was quiet, just the sound of his breaths slowly coming to even. Finally, he laughed, short and sharp before muttering, "That sounds gross."

"Yeah, a bit," Maka giggled back. "You think I could come up with better."

"Post four champagnes apparently isn't your best time to write." Her golden strands tickled his lips as he pressed them to her hairline. "I don't want to go back. I don't want to see her right now. Hell, I'm not even sure I want to see her ever again."

"Come on, complain a little more," Maka patted his back. "Get it out of your system and then we do have to go back. It's just the rehearsal dinner. You have a whole forty-eight hours that you're going to have to get through."

"Maka," he grumbled as he tried to ease his hands open and closed against her back.

"Go ahead, be whiny, last chance." She pulled away slowly, ready to giggle at the annoyed look that she expected on his face but instead he was still, his eyes narrowing at her as if studying every line of her face.

Soul pulled one of his arms back, his hand coming to her chin to tilt it just a little more. "Having you, being able to call you mine, is one of the best things in my life."

"You're supposed to be complaining," she murmured breathlessly as the blush overtook her face.

"Didn't think it was worth the breath." That wide smirk stretched across her lips and Maka felt her heart tumbling into her gut, her legs weak underneath her. "Saying that was."


	25. A Pretty Picture

Guys! I definitely have momentum on this one again and I really think I have an ending in sight (keep your fingers crossed for me). Of course, I already have a new AU kicking around in my head so stay tuned - I might try to force myself to finish this one before starting a new one.

* * *

The way Soul was kissing her felt desperate, but as Maka's mind mulled it over that didn't exactly seem like the right word. Needy, no. Frantic, maybe a little. Intense, definitely, especially as his hands clasped into her hair, pulling her head back so he could greedily feast on the flesh of her neck. It had started as soon as she set foot in the door of their room after the tense but overall not disastrous dessert and chatting. To be completely honest, Maka almost felt a little triumphant as she watched Catherine avoid them for the rest of the night. And now, the best reward of all was Soul's very concentrated attention. Maybe mauling was the word she was looking for.

"Slow down," Maka murmured.

"Why?" Soul hissed out against her neck as one of his hands started to gather up the fabric of her dress on its way up her thigh.

Maka giggled at the ceiling, "Because I'm drunk and if we don't get to the bed soon I'm afraid I'm going to topple us both."

He grunted a reply before halting the travel of his hand, instead redirecting to bring that strong arm around her waist and walked her back towards the bed. At the last minute, he turned her, bringing his back to the bed so at least when they fell it was Maka who crushed him, a small blessing as far as she was concerned. It was really a selfish motive since as soon as gravity no longer mattered, Soul's hands were back at the hem of her dress, pulling it up and over her head.

"Still rushing," she chided.

"Just trying to get to the best parts," he grumbled back as he tossed the dress aside.

"Soul…" Maka pressed a hand to his neck, just keeping his lips at bay long enough to get him to open his eyes, those scarlet orbs blinking up at her. "You don't have anything to prove."

"Who said I was?"

Maka raised her eyebrows playfully.

He sucked his teeth followed by a sigh. "OK, alright. Slow. I got it."

"Because honestly," she sighed sweetly before just brushing her lips against his, "You're forgetting my favorite part."

His hands slowed and the way that his eyes keenly focused on her was as if she were about to tell the secret of the ages and it amused her to no end. "What's that?"

"Your cute little chatter," she laughed which was only strengthened by the narrowing of his eyebrows.

"I don't chatter," he huffed.

Maka let her fingers ripple down the front of his shirt. "Only here, but you definitely do."

Soul sighed before moving to kiss along her jaw, letting his lips get close enough to her ear so that he could murmur, "It's because this is the best time to let out all those thoughts I can't share during the day. When I see you just for a second, or we're in front of my idiot mother, I can't, but now I can. You deserve to know how much I think about you."

Maka grinned and let her head dip to his shoulder. "See? Romantic."

A deep breath eased from his throat before his hands, that before had been so needy and rough, moved to wrap around her and pull her tightly to him. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Maka would try to get a look at those ruby eyes but he was pulling her too close and there was never any fighting that grip.

"I freaked out tonight," he muttered and let it feed into another slow exhale. "And, yeah, I'm a little pushy right now. Been letting that one-track-mind run for the past hour about how you deserve better."

"Soul-"

"Which is why you should just let me hold you for a second and _chatter_," he laughed as he nuzzled into her hair. "I loved catching you laughing tonight. You're always beautiful but when you're laughing it's something else, the way your eyes shine almost as much as your smile." Soul cheated, taking a second to kiss back at her shoulder again, not exactly needing time to formulate the next words since these always came easily to him but still being slightly caught up in her skin. "And I love how you can do that, smile and laugh, even around all this shit. I'm hoping it's because… because you've found your place here, with me, with Wes and Lizzie. Maybe it's impossible, but I hope you don't feel lonely anymore."

Maka sighed as she finally wriggled enough out of his grip to come nose to nose. "Do you feel lonely?"

He huffed, "I asked you first."

"You didn't technically ask anything," she cooed right back.

"I feel…" he tried to frown, displeased at the idea he was giving in so easily but knowing he had completely no choice. "I guess it's like I don't wonder when I'm going to be happy again. I just get to be because you're either just a glance away or just a few hours away from being that close. Loneliness isn't even something I think about anymore."

Maka started giggling against his lips, "I really just wanted to hear you say the most hopelessly romantic thing before I offered a simple answer."

"Hey," he grumbled.

"And you never disappoint." She broke her grin by pressing her lips to his.

"Maka," he groaned against her lips. "Answer my not question."

"I feel…" she copied with a bit of a laugh that trickled into a breathless kind of gasp. "Soul, I… Wes and Lizzie have been wonderful and I do feel like we're a family but your mother still obviously _hates_ me."

"I told you once, parental approval means _jackshit_," Soul urged as his hands grasped tighter at her waist. "And tonight, she was just… I don't think she's happy about Wes and Lizzie just as much as she's not happy about you and me, so it was bound to come out in what she considered the most acceptable place, the two that weren't getting married."

"Even though she thought we were engaged," Maka sighed.

"Yeah." Soul tried to temper the goofy little smile that came to his lips especially as her eyebrows furrowed.

"You _liked_ that," Maka accused, her finger poking in his ribs. "You enjoyed it a little."

"Well, until we got the part about me being heartless, sure," he again tried to grumble but it still bordered too much on feeling good.

"Soul," she huffed.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," he sighed. "It's just… you didn't say it wasn't going to happen, and that line, the one about you being a woman, me being a man, it was kind of, I don't know, feisty."

Maka crumbled into laughter as she ducked her head to his chest. "I kind of stole that from a book," she murmured into the fabric of his shirt.

"The whole thing?"

She turned her head so her cheek rested against his chest. "From _Pride and Prejudice_, when Darcy's aunt comes to Elizabeth to make sure she's not engaged to Darcy. '_He is a gentleman, I am a gentleman's daughter…'_ so close enough."

"But she didn't say never?" Soul was rarely interested in one of her old-timey romance novels in the guise of classical literature but finding this one hitting too close.

"Just the same thing I did, that they weren't, but that she would give no guarantee that it wouldn't happen." Maka expelled a beautifully warm laugh against the fabric of his shirt. "That little outburst is what gave Darcy the guts to ask her to marry him again. '_I knew enough of your disposition to be certain that, had you been absolutely, irrevocably decided against me, you would have acknowledged it…'_"

"He asked her before and she said no?" He felt breathless asking the question.

"Flat out refused him, mostly because he kind of insulted her while proposing, so…" Maka wiggled against him, probably producing something close to a shrug.

"And tonight, you didn't say never," he hopelessly reminded, feeling that little knot in his gut again.

"I didn't say never," she echoed and sighed softly. _Because I can't say never. The more I think about it, the more I… _"I told you I was thinking about it, just like you asked."

His hand brushed through her hair, "Thanks. I appreciate that."

"That almost sounds sarcastic," she grumbled.

"It's not," he let his fingers drift through her tresses again, pulling the calm from the motion. "And I know I'm being a little ridiculous. Not even a year together and I'm… _ridiculous_," came out breathlessly.

The words trickled from her lips without much of a second thought, "You're just like your brother."

That strangled him, a sharp cough coming from his throat at the thought. "I guess. And I guess that's fine as long as…" Another little choke came from his mouth but this one warbled into a squeaking sigh.

"As long as what?" Maka raised her head, eyebrows raised at him.

"I get to be just as happy," he murmured back, damning the implications as he ran his fingers through her hair again. He watched the logical line of thought play out over her face, the way the blush lit up her cheeks. "Maybe it is ridiculous, but I know I do love you. That's all I'm sure about sometimes."

"I love you, too." Maybe it was the leftovers from the champagne or the way his eyes were taking in every inch of her face but Maka felt the tears stinging at her eyes. _I'd never be able to say no. Maybe wait, maybe someday, but never no_.

"I think I chattered enough, huh?" He pressed a soft kiss to her lips as he tried to ease her back to before, but even with the thoughtful touches, neither of their minds could come to the moment at hand.

_It's just me rushing, being ridiculous because I'm afraid to lose what I have even though it's not going anywhere_, slid through his mind.

_Everyone's infected with the marriage bug, that's all. It's just thoughts, decisions, not daydreams and hopes. _Maka found herself clinging to him almost as much as the thoughts. _But then why am I afraid? Why do I worry he'll change his mind?_

* * *

Soul didn't feel well-rested but the excitement of the day left him with no choice but to soldier onward. Somehow Wes didn't seem the least bit nervous, even able to fix his own cufflinks without issue, something Soul couldn't even do on a regular day. In the end, it seemed like he was the world's worst Best Man, just following Wes around like a dog looking for a lost bone.

Maka was only fairing better on the helpful side of things, tending to every last need and necessity before Lizzie could even ask for it. It was a way to fill her mind, to keep it from churning over the ups and downs of the night before. Maka couldn't afford the emotionality especially not with the delicate arrangement of make-up on her face. She had to be strong, steady, ready to be a bridesmaid, and face whatever special wrath Catherine had for this day as well.

A special kind of relief welled up in Maka's chest as she watched Catherine go down the aisle first, the wedding planner thankfully destroying any opportunity for meddling in the entryway. It was their line-up next, Elena chomping at the bit to be gone from Chase while Shinji was already offering pleasant quips about the show. Maka tried to smile, to laugh, but her eyes were still searching for Soul for no particular reason other than for those red eyes to send her back into balance and great some normalcy. Instead, she was pushed along by the planner and out into the aisle.

Maka had to believe that there was some kind of flower placing robot because the intricacy and ubiquitousness of arrangement seemed impossible for human hands. Everything was glowing white as if it weren't high summer and a snowstorm had taken over the inside of the hall. The only color added came from the stained glass windows, dazzling certain spots with a rainbow of hues. The beauty of it was dizzying and Maka tried to hold onto that, tried to make it set the stage of the day.

Shinji delicately dropped her off at the bride's side of the stage, leaving Maka sandwiched between Elena and Flore. It gave her some semblance of security, the feeling of two shoulders against hers and she found herself softly touching hands with each, sharing reassuring glances before bringing her eyes back to the end of the aisle. Soul appeared with Susanna, looking every bit as nervous as a groom should. Even in the face of all that, Maka could only feel relief in the fact that they existed in the same space again.

With that comfort came a glowing smile, a thing that Soul was always instantly drawn towards, and as soon as he set eyes on his one the rest seemed to melt away. Her courage was always contagious and Soul found himself forgetting the forlorn act as he brought his future sister-in-law to the altar. He threw one glance at Maka, giving her the best smirk he could manage before taking his place on the groom's side.

Wes appeared, his gate almost a little too hurried as he moved down the aisle. It wasn't nerves, Soul had somehow leached all of that out of him, but an amazing excitement. As Wes made it up the small rise, Soul firmly took a hand to his shoulder, grabbing Wes in for an embrace that took both of them by surprise. "Get ready to be the happiest man alive, Wes," Soul croaked as he couldn't help his throat from tightening.

"I'm ready," Wes chuckled softly as they parted, taking one last, long look at his little brother before turning to face the walkway again.

It was purely traditional as the procession music started, a silhouette of Lizzie and her father appearing behind the screens of the doors. Maka held her breath as the shadow became corporeal in the doorway. First assumptions are usually incorrect, but Maka's rang true yet again, that simplicity was Lizzie's forte. Not that simple meant less than stunning, since Lizzie was breathtaking in the 1920s Hollywood sort of way, the silk sheath dress adorned with the tiniest, most delicate pearls to make gentle lines like a spiderweb.

Maka wasn't the only one refusing to breathe and Soul found himself nudging Wes to kickstart his lungs. Wes's inhale came with a sweet sigh after, and a blush came to Soul's face as he easily identified the sound. _He's just as lovesick with her as I am with Maka._ He could almost laugh at the two of them except he had to keep that signature smile, the altar not exactly the best place for a hearty laugh. Soul did break one cardinal rule, letting his eyes go from the bride to Maka even though he'd promised himself after that fortifying glance up the walkway he was done. _Eh, I knew that was going to be a lie_. She wasn't looking back at him, being much better at this pomp and circumstance thing than he was, but this allotted him more time to stare, tracing the tendrils of hair down to the fine line of her neck and along her collarbone.

_It's ridiculous, right? That I'm standing here, thinking that one day, that'll be us. Not half as fancy, definitely not in front of this many people, but one day I'll convince her._ He had to bite his tongue to keep in his own sigh, turning his attention back to Wes and the tears starting in his brother's eyes.

As ceremony dictated, Stephen walked his eldest daughter to the end of the aisle, depositing her in front of Wes before kissing her softly on the cheek. Lizzie was quick to turn to Susanna, offering her the bouquet before turning back to Wes, a brilliant smile on her face. And ceremony continued, the drone of the nothing out of the ordinary officiating putting a lull in the excitement of everyone but the bride and groom. Maka was trying to make sure that was where her attention was, still wanting to steal glances at Soul in the midst of boring diatribes about marriage.

None of the words from the officiant seemed to match the concept in her head, but Maka found herself refusing to take another step down that dark path in her mind. Instead, she made the point of seeing Wes and Lizzie in front of her, not just in reality, but in the entirety of her experience with them. It was obvious each time you were with them that this was love, not something that could easily be torn asunder, and with devotion, dedication to each other it had brought them here. Whatever marriage was, it could be this, too. There was always a chance for happiness especially when the couple gave it fertile ground to grow.

That slow journey through her mind brought her to the moment of the kiss and regardless of the warning about make-up, Maka's eyes flooded. It was sweet, maybe not entirely chaste but short, leaving both bride and groom smiling happily into each other's faces. The rest was literally a blur for Maka as she struggled through keeping the tears at bay, a few still sneaking down her cheeks regardless of her valiant effort. Shinji was kind, leading her like the sighted do the blind back to the foyer. It was then that she felt his hands on her, and strangely enough, a handkerchief forced between her fingers.

"Here, you big cry baby," Soul teased as he let go of his end of the fabric.

"Am not," Maka sniffled softly as she desperately dabbed at the wetness on her face.

"Liar," he chuckled as he ran his hands up and down her arms. "Pull it together, you know the photos are next and while I think that little bit of red to your nose is adorable, I know you're going to hate it."

Maka groaned, "I'm going to look ridiculous."

"Says you." Soul couldn't stop it from being a grumble, his hands feeling useless at her arms instead of clearing her face. "Deep breath."

"Trying." Maka pulled in a long dose of air as instructed before patting a hand to his chest. "Why did you have a handkerchief?"

"Always prepared," Soul shrugged. "Though I was worried I was going to have to give it to Wes up on the altar and kind of ruin it."

Maka blinked at him, eyes finally clear of tears enough to see the playful smirk on his face. "Ruin what?"

His fingers dipped just below the clutched fabric, tipping the edge to her line of sight. "Just, uh, a gift, I guess. Maybe it's lame but I was betting you'd cry." It was very delicate embroidery, completely easy to miss in its fine detail. In that corner, with just a few ornate lines for embellishment, were their initials.

"How did you…?" Maka was nowhere near concerned with her face, her fingers opening the fabric up to take a better look.

"Another one of Marina's talents…" Soul was starting to feel breathless, that intense look of concentration on her face not breaking one way or the other.

Maka had just about as much air as Soul. "But… a gift for me?"

"Sure," he let out a tight laugh. "It's the romantic thing to do, right?"

Before Maka could even raise her head, the planner cut between the two of them. "Pictures!" she squawked as she started pressing pairs back together, shoving Soul back in Susanna's direction as well as starting the group out of the foyer. All Maka saw was his white hair disappear into the sunlight before she turned her attention back to her hand. She'd need to hide it for the pictures - who wants the fancy equivalent of a used tissue in wedding photos - but she hated to smash it in her palm. Instead, Maka went about folding it in her hand, trying to keep that fine design of _MA & SE_ to the top. Once safely folded, she enclosed it in her hand, squeezing it like a charm in her palm.

The handkerchief had done its job in more ways than one, drying Maka's tears not just literally but entirely as she finally let his answer sink in. _Like one of your Elizabethian novels, the hero giving the heroine a token of his undying love before being whisked away by the evil wedding planner. _That brought a grin to her lips, her nose crinkling to hold back the laugh.

"Something funny?" Shinji finally poked into her daydreams.

"No, nothing," but Maka had to expel the laugh. "Just… poor Elena." Maka's diversion worked, Shinji's attention pulled to the amusing pairing of the piggish man and no-nonsense woman who were not letting Maka down, a new argument starting as soon as their feet hit the gravel. Under this disguise, Maka let a final giggle fulfill her urges. _He's adorable. Absurdly romantic. Just a complete fool for love and I'd… I'd be completely lost without it._ With that thought, her eyes were on him, just in time to catch him glancing back over his shoulder.

The glance transformed into a full turn as he watched the tail-end of her laugh. Even with the stress of the wedding planner using him as a spearhead, Soul still found himself blushing. _Damnit, I hope she liked that._ Soul tore himself away, all focus back to pandering to the planner's and photographer's every whim. The posing was ludicrous, stiff scenes of looking out at the lake or something with absurdly situated hands. Even worse, both sets of parents had ambled into the fray, oscillating between giving orders and being ordered around themselves. Soul barely swallowed the particular twinge of annoyance at having to pose alone with his mother, a photo completely unnecessary but of course, required by Catherine.

"Alright, now the Evans family," the photographer waved Wes and Lizzie back to the scene.

Soul happily accepted their presence, trying to get to the other side of Wes in an effort to put distance between him and his mother.

"Maka," Lizzie called and started to wave her over.

The idea that Lizzie was pulling her over gave Soul that trembling in his stomach again, and woozy lovesick Soul was about to break into that goofy smile until he encountered the ice of his mother's face.

"Absolutely not, Elizabeth," Catherine hissed.

"Absolutely _yes_, Catherine," Lizzie offered back sweetly.

But that didn't deter Catherine, her lips still crawling back from her teeth, "Maka is _not_ an Evans."

That had Soul's hands balled in tight fists especially as Maka was now close enough to hear, those green eyes blinking widely in that way he knew was to keep back tears. _If one tear hits her cheeks I'm going to absolutely-_

Soul didn't have to finish the thought since Lizzie took Maka by both hands, pulling her right forward and tossing her right into Soul. "Listen, Catherine, it is _my _wedding day, and _I_ will have the final say and _I_ say that Maka is as much an Evans as I am. Now smile for the damn picture, _please_." Lizzie turned into acknowledgment, and looking back at those photos one could say that all Evan's men had a similar expression of fear - Lewis for the backlash, Wes for a tone of voice he'd never heard from his bride until that moment, and Soul of the idea of Maka shedding a tear over this moment. The women, on the other hand, had very different faces - Catherine still not over the shock, Lizzie beaming in triumph, and Maka holding on to the last bit of courage she had to smile long enough for the shots to finish and the photographer to call over Lizzie's parents.

"Come here," he grabbed her by the elbow as soon as the attention had turned and pulled her far enough from the group.

"You don't have to, Soul," Maka murmured.

"Like hell I don't have to," Soul grumbled as he took a few more steps, bringing her other elbow into his hands so he could get close enough to holding her as propriety would allow.

"I'm OK," she urged, even through the warble in her voice. "I'm really OK."

"Again, like fucking hell," he forced his voice into a low hiss. "Please, Maka, please don't-"

"I'm OK," she pleaded again, shaking his arms for emphasis. "It… it hurt, but what Lizzie said… Soul, as long as you can tell me right now that you feel the same way I promise it'll be fine."

All the rage that he was ready to lay out fizzled as a grin sprouted on his face to accompany the easiest answer in the world, "I don't know why you'd want to be a fucking Evans but you're stuck with me."

"Good, because I want a copy of that damn picture to hang on the wall," a hint of a smile ended that statement along with her hands moving to his chest.

"Anything you want," he chuckled. "You sure you're OK?"

Maka huffed, "I will be if you can promise me some food, some champagne, and a few dances with you. If you can I think I can brave the rest of Catherine's storm."

His eyes darted to the group for a moment before throwing the idea of social niceties to the wind. Soul leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "Yes, yes, and yes."


	26. First Dance

Still rolling forward! Enjoy the update!

* * *

Soul made good on all his promises and he couldn't help but notice how the handkerchief remained pressed in her palm for the entirety of the night. Lizzie, of course, had blessed the wedding party with their own table, Soul only having to stomach the likes of Chase and Vincent who were actually refreshing in comparison to his mother. He was also very sure he wasn't going to have the patience for Catherine to get anywhere near pressing Maka close to tears again. If that happened, he wasn't sure he could guarantee his temper.

"Soul," she cooed in a low voice next to his ear. "Kind of killing my hand."

"Sorry," he muttered as he relaxed his grip.

"Instead of thinking, why don't we dance?" Maka didn't wait for the answer, just getting from her seat and forcing Soul to follow. This was new, the only dance they'd ever almost had interrupted by Wes before they were even dating. Thankfully for Soul, it was a slow song since while his tempo was always on point the only body part that had ever synced up with that were his fingers, leaving him a piss-poor gyrator no matter how much Black Star tried to coach him.

As soon as they were far enough on to the dancefloor, Soul swept her into his arms, eliciting a sweet laugh of surprise from her mouth. "You always have the best ideas."

"Sometimes," Maka tried to be modest but her smile was ear to ear.

His fingers played along her lower back as his other hand intertwined with hers. "Can we call tonight a success?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

Maka stole a glance at Lizzie and Wes, seeing them still making the rounds to the seemingly endless amount of tables. "I think Lizzie and Wes are almost done saying hello to each one of their millions of guests, so maybe that's a success. They got married without any major meltdowns, that's definitely a success. And I think I actually see them starting their food finally, which would be a success if there was actually enough of it on the plate."

Soul chuckled as he strummed his fingers along her back again. "How about for us?"

"What did we have to be successful at?" Maka blinked.

"Well, I guess…" Soul's eyes roamed the room for a moment, unsure he could collect the right words without melting for those green eyes. "Can we at least say it went better than yesterday?"

"_I_ didn't have to yell at Catherine today," Maka chirped, "I'll call that a success."

"Yeah, Lizzie certainly didn't need your help," Soul laughed.

"And it was… kind of nice to hear. Obviously not Catherine's thing but Lizzie didn't have to do that, didn't have to have me in the picture in the first place. She could have never called me over and never even had to raise her voice to Catherine, but she did and I…" Maka could barely clear the tightening in her throat and found herself struggling for air.

"Hey," he whispered before leaning down and pressing his forehead to hers. "Last thing you want is more of those tearful wedding photos, right? So breath."

"You were right," she murmured when just enough oxygen hit her lungs.

"I always like to hear that." She missed his smirk because he was still pressed close to her, secretly wishing that this could be a kiss, regardless of the show.

"Maybe it doesn't matter what Catherine thinks." Maka dipped her head back, careful not to give in to the temptation for a kiss. "And maybe I'm going to start acting that way."

"Oh, sounds like a threat!" Soul's smirk was starting to hurt his cheeks, the reach bordering on the absurd. "What's first on the '_Catherine can shove it'_ list?"

That was the pinnacle of Maka's gusto and she let out a slow sigh, "I don't know yet. Just, she can't decide what happens between you and me."

"Already knew that," Soul squeezed her hand. "And technically you've-"

"Mind if I cut in?"

Soul would have especially if you added in the being cut off if the voice wasn't Wes's, his older brother now standing just behind Maka, making history repeat itself. "Uh," Soul looked down at Maka's amiable face as she gently shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, Wes. I'll go hang with Lizzie for a bit." Soul handed her off, trying not to be perplexed at the request as he wandered off in search of the bride.

Maka was experiencing her own strange situation as Wes took Soul's place, definitely not as close and without the wandering hand but oddly alike in vibe as if love glowed off the two of them. "I didn't mean to interrupt. We just finished all the rounds and I assumed this would be the last minute I'd have to give you a moment of individualized attention."

"Oh, you didn't have to, Wes," Maka smiled sweetly. "Did you even get to finish your dinner?"

"Just about," Wes chuckled softly. "I'm sure Lizzie will save it from the vultures until I get back."

"Unless Soul gets to it."

"Perhaps it's lost then," Wes continued with the jovial trickle from his throat before clearing it. "Maybe it's strange, but I wanted to apologize for the incident during the photographs."

Maka tried to cycle Soul's threat through her mind again. _Don't cry, ugly pictures._ "No, Wes, that's not necessary."

"It is," Wes quickly corrected. "I know Soul has been worried since the very beginning of your time together that Mother would be unfair and it seems without fail she has proven him right time and time again." Maka was about to interject again, reiterating how needless this was but Wes pressed through. "I had foolishly thought after you'd been together long enough, Mother would mellow but that has most certainly not been the case. I've tried to impress upon her how important you are-"

"Wes," Maka croaked. "Thank you, but please, it's really fine." She had to stop him or else there would most certainly be tears and she was already trying to find a distraction as her eyes moved around the room.

"It's not," Wes pressed. "But I didn't come over to upset you. I suppose I came over because while Lizzie can speak for the both of us, I wanted to make sure this sentiment came from both of our mouths. You're our family now. You're _his_ family." Maybe Maka wasn't going to be the first one to cry, Wes's voice starting to crack under the pressure. "What you've done for him, for _us_ can't be repaid but the least I can do is assure you that my mother doesn't speak for all of us."

"Wes, I…" Maka blinked up at him, knowing that any amount of modesty would be rebuked. Instead, she squeezed Wes's hand in hers. "Family takes care of each other, right? That's all I was doing, Wes. I look forward to doing a lot of that, just you, Lizzie, Soul, and me."

"That's all I can hope for," Wes's breath was full of relief. "Speaking of, why don't we find the rest of the family?"

"Yes, please," Maka smiled.

While the formality was nowhere near over, the night inched on with the four of them together.

* * *

Maka sat down with a huff, unsure if she could even get through braiding her hair. How a wedding that wasn't even her wedding elicited complete bodily exhaustion was beyond her. She threw a glance over her shoulder, seeing Soul open one lazy eyelid. "That wedding was too much."

He grunted, "I thought you said this place was dreamy."

"It _is_ beautiful, but…" Maka finally produced enough energy to reach her hands up and start the process of twisting her hair into something manageable for sleep. "The people, the pomp, it was too much. I don't know how Lizzie and Wes stood it all."

"Then what would you do?"

"Huh?" Maka glanced back over her shoulder again, Soul's eyelids now firmly closed so as not to give away any secrets.

"A wedding - what would you want?"

Maka took the longest breath of her life, allowing her mind to touch on something that it hadn't come near since she probably planned it with stuffed animals on the floor of her childhood bedroom. "50 people maximum."

"25," Soul seemed to correct.

"25 to 50," Maka adjusted with a short laugh. "Better food. I feel like a place like this goes more for looks than the meal."

This perked one of his eyes open again, "You're still hungry, aren't you?"

"A little," she muttered. "It's just those _frou-frou_ plates and hors d'oeuvre the size of your pinky definitely don't cut it."

Soul chuckled as he rolled on his side and reached his hand lazily into his suitcase. He rummaged around until he found the plastic bag full of treats he'd tucked away at the bottom. "Here."

Maka had just finished her braid and tied off the end as he nudged the convenience store stash against her back. Her eyes widened as she clutched joyously at the bag. "Oh, I _love_ you!" she gushed as she collapsed on her stomach on the oversized bed, the bag now tumbling open between them.

"Just don't get crumbs in the bed again, please," he begged before resting on his back again, propping his hands behind his head. "OK, so a giant buffet of food."

"No, not a buffet," Maka mumbled as she weighed her options from the bag. "Have it at a place where food is what they do."

"You mean a restaurant?" he smirked.

She was tempted to toss the candy bar she was currently holding at him but huffed instead. "Duh, but a fantastic one. And no giant ridiculous cake. Do you know how much the cake tonight cost?" Maka opened the bag of popcorn first, munching through a handful as she waited for her answer.

"Doubt it was the most expensive thing," Soul shrugged as he watched her chew. "So, no cake, but little desserts?"

Maka waited for the last few kernels to clear from her mouth, "An assortment. Nobody likes the same desserts. Something chocolate, maybe a fruit tart, definitely a cheesecake or a creme brulee."

"So eating is the only thing at this wedding?" Soul watched her pop another handful of popcorn in her mouth.

Maka tapped her finger to her chin as she chewed through her mouthful. "I kind of like those stupid picture booths. I don't know why, but could you imagine what Black Star could come up with? It'd be hysterical. And you'd need something to do without a dancefloor."

"No dancing?" Soul curled an eyebrow questioningly. "You didn't seem to mind the dancing tonight."

"But you did," she murmured as her eyes suddenly became more interested at what was in the bottom of the bag than meeting his. "You'd be grumbly enough with being the center of attention a whole night, so imagine adding dancing onto that? No way."

"I'm included in this wedding?" He wanted it to be nothing more than playful, but his heart still lurched.

Maka tilted her head, smirking blithely. "Well, unless we're talking about my fantasy wedding to Simu Liu…"

"Hey," Soul complained as even the stupid joke punched him slightly in the gut.

She sighed, seeing that little tick of hurt at the corner of his eye. After ditching the popcorn in the bag and moving it out of the way she crawled up the bed, planting her hands above his shoulders to stare at him. "Would you wear a tux?"

He grabbed at her hips, coaxing her down on top of him. "A suit. Maybe tie."

"Maybe?" Maka smirked. "But you look handsome in a tie and I promise it wouldn't be some outrageous floral print or something."

"Maybe," he echoed as one of his hands started to flutter up and down her back. "What would you wear?"

Her grin exploded as a laugh parted it, "You know I would never tell you."

He sucked his teeth in reply, letting it tumble into a soft chuckle. "You're impossible."

"It's your own fault," she cooed. "You're too predictable."

On his trip up her spine, his hand slipped further to settle at the back of her neck, pulling her lips to his for a lingering kiss. "And you just love torturing me."

"Maybe…" Maka let their lips return to the kiss, trying not to let the movie she had been creating play in her mind. _Soul in a suit, adorably nervous - because how could he be otherwise? - waiting for me at the end of some makeshift aisle since it wouldn't be a church, would it? Maybe outside or-_ She tried to put a lid on the dangerous daydream but it was as if he was feeding it, that grip on her neck tightening to deepen their kiss until she was drowning in the flashing imagery of the two of them.

Soul released the pressure, letting a sigh out across her lips. "You going to hate me if I call it here? I'm exhausted."

"Totally acceptable," Maka murmured as she pulled away from him, her jade eyes focusing out of the haze to stare in his.

Soul narrowed his eyes as he could swear there was just a little too much moisture puddling at the brims of hers. "What is it?"

Lying at this point was never easy especially as both his steady hands and ruby eyes refused to let her go. "That was…" She breathed out slowly, her fingers tentatively touching at his cheek. "It wasn't as hard to think about, Soul."

"Still not easy, though?" he whispered.

"No, not easy." Maka leaned her forehead against his. "But you definitely have me thinking."


	27. A Smile

I'm convinced I'm torturing you, so I apologize. I really have to wrap this one up, so after this we may have a little of a time jump. I promise I'm working towards the ending that I think we all want, but at the same time I'm starting the new AU just like I promised I wouldn't. Let me know if you want me to release it before I finish this one.

* * *

Maka woke up to his fingers softly grazing over her arm. They weren't touches filled with intent, closer to half-asleep wanderings as they tiptoed hand to shoulder and back again. "Good morning," she murmured.

"Hey," came gruffly back.

She rolled over slowly, seeing those scarlet eyes still refusing to open but a knowing grin coming to his lips. "I'm really ready to go home."

He grunted half of a laugh, "Just have to make it through breakfast."

Maka groaned in reply, scooting on top of him as she sunk her face in the crook of his head. "The food better be good."

That birthed a real laugh from his mouth as his arms moved to wrap around her and crush her to his chest. "I love you."

"I'm glad my love of food amuses you," she muttered into his neck.

"Top ten things to love about you." Soul kissed her shoulder before patting at her back. "Come on, time to get up."

"Since when are you the punctual one?" she grumbled.

"The sooner we're there, the sooner we leave, the sooner we're back in the apartment." Soul tapped a finger on her back for each thing on the list. "And that's technically what you want, hence me trying to get it."

"Thank you," but she still punctuated with a sigh as he started to ease out from underneath her.

"I'm gonna shower, then I'll throw you out of bed," he laughed as he finally got out of her grasp and stretched off the end of the bed.

Maka watched the muscles of his back as he leaned, a soft smile curling her lips. In a way, this was her favorite time of the day, when he was lazily preparing himself for the world, stretching and sending half-dreamy glances her way. Watching him until he disappeared into the bathroom was enough to invigorate her to the point where she could slip out of bed and start unwinding her hair. The shower started in the background as she moved achingly slow through the process, untangling her thoughts along with the golden tresses.

_The wedding dreaming is over, right? We'll slip back into real life, work, and soon school and it'll all drift away. He'll stop thinking about it and so will I._ The breath that followed did little to convince her that any of that was the truth. _It'll be good to take a step back, take a breath, just look at it logically instead of clouded by all the romance in the air._ Another shaky breath broke her lips. _Especially since we're just young, dangerously in love, more likely to act foolishly and…_

She sucked in air, letting her chest puff up. _What I can be sure of, what I know I'm going to change is Catherine. She can like me, she can hate me, but I'm not going to shed another tear. _She turned her head to hear the click of the bathroom door, shocked by how long the thoughts must have revolved around her head.

"Guess I don't have to throw you out of bed," Soul chuckled but it fell away as her head turned and wide, almost confused eyes blinked back at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she gave her head a quick shake and her eyes softened to usual. "Guess I just got lost in my thoughts. Spaced out."

Soul narrowed his eyes at her, "You sure?"

"Yup, back to Earth," she offered the best grin she could before turning her head back to the window and trying another breath to clear whatever else was left.

Soul blew out a huff of air before continuing to the bed. He dropped the damp towel on his side before reaching into his bag and starting the suddenly slowed process of putting on his boxers. He didn't like it, the eyes, the crawl back to reality that came to her face and he found himself wrestling through possible scenarios. Finally, he put forth the one that made the most sense, "Look, if you're worried about my mom-"

"No," Maka cut it off quickly.

"Then…?"

Maka could finally throw an amused smile over her shoulder to him. "You can't let me have one mysterious thought, can you?"

"Well," Soul's open mouth snapped back shut, his lips pressed into a thin line. _No_, he wanted to answer, since nobody enjoys the unknown.

"Well?"

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Good, because you can't have _all_ of my thoughts," Maka chided as she got up from the bed and started to the closet where dresses were hung to avoid wrinkles. She could imagine the snide remarks from Catherine already if something so simple was ignored. Maka let her hand rest on the hanger, gliding the silky summer dress she'd brought specifically for this occasion. Among many other things, their relationship had brought an uptick in her purchasing of new dresses, mostly just for the simple satisfaction of watching the way his eyes bugged out of his head every time as a triumphant reminder that she was beautiful to him.

Lucky for her his current attention was on his belt, his mind probably still churning over the thought she wouldn't let him have. Maka slipped out of her pajamas and into the dress, a simple wrap dress that didn't threaten immodesty in the front but did perhaps give too much of a peek at her leg. As she was tying the front closed his eyes finally wandered to her and she sweetly savored the way his face lit up, the playful smirk coming to his lips as he instantly started the walk towards her.

"That's new," he murmured as he slowed the last few steps, taking his time to look her up and down.

She hummed the affirmative before putting a hand to his chest. "Don't wrinkle it, please."

"Wouldn't dare." Soul jammed his hands in his pockets because the temptation was obviously there, the fabric looking like it would be barely there under his fingertips.

"Soul…" came as a warning from her mouth.

"I know," he grumbled as he took a safe step back, hands still firm in his pockets. "Looks soft."

"It is," she pushed him another step back. "And you can feel it all you want when you're manhandling me into the apartment _later_. Now you only get to look." Soul turned with a huff, letting her hand now fall to his back and easy him another step forward. "Let's go, I'm sure everyone's downstairs by now."

Soul continued his grumbles with each step, detailing under his breath the cruelty that Maka seemed to enjoy so much. All he got in reply was joyful giggles and that hand pressing him all the way down to the same hall as the reception. Most of the party was already there though not all of them looked as well-rested as the others since Susanna certainly hadn't badgered any of the girls out of drinking last night. Elena seemed to be most certainly nursing a hangover that Susanna was not far behind, leaving them both delightfully quiet and uninterested in the usual playful bickering.

A short wave of greetings came from the table as they got close enough, Wes instantly out of his seat to pull Soul into a hug. "Didn't think you'd beat us down here," Soul laughed as he kept the embrace short, the physical affection still leaving a lingering feeling of disarray.

"We're in good form today," Wes chirped happily, sending a glance Lizzie's way.

"And everyone knows you two lovebirds are always so busy with each other that you can't manage to get anywhere on time," Lizzie teased.

"Lovebirds," Soul scoffed but sucked the air back in as Maka leaned into him, her cheek pressing against his shoulder.

"For once it wasn't his fault this morning," she chimed and Soul's cheeks flared red.

Lizzie motioned Maka over, giving Soul a moment's reprieve to get his face in order. He sat quickly, still surprised by how she could produce that tingling redness on his face. His eyes darted along the table, settling on his mother and her sour face. "Mom, you feeling alright?" he offered with half a smile.

"Fine," she replied tightly before letting her eyes flick to the girls.

Lizzie was still whispering happily into Maka's ear, their eyes both sparkling with secrets. _She seems, I don't know, sure of something now after that space-casing this morning. What was that thought she had today?_ He blew a frustrated breath from his lips, the more they giggled the less sure he was that it wasn't about him. When she finally joined him, Soul wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pressing his lips close to her ear. "You have a good chat?"

"Fine," Maka smiled as she tried to press against his chest to no avail.

"Want to clue me in?" Soul kept that iron grip on her.

"Later," she murmured. "You'll definitely want to wait until later." Those green eyes weren't filled with tortuous amusement but a sweet, soft concern and he left it, slipping his arm down the back of her chair and coming back to his lap. Carefully, she turned her head, leaving little space between them. "But don't think it's a bad thing, alright?"

"Right." His eyes focused on hers, desperately wanting to seal her promise with a kiss, knowing she wouldn't lie but wanting to taste it on her lips. "Later."

Maka turned her head, focusing in on Catherine and Lewis. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Good morning, Catherine, Lewis."

"Good morning," Lewis offered but Catherine only pertly nodded her head.

Soul was ready to reach for her, to squeeze an '_I love you'_ into her hand but found the smile strong on her face.

Not only that but she continued to barrel right though, "Did you two sleep well?"

Lewis had to keep his eyebrows in check rather than let them crawl up his forehead. "Fine, thank you."

Catherine seemed to hate that answer, but the emotion quickly squashed from her face before letting her eyes glance over Maka. "I suppose you two slept fine."

"Like always," Maka sent a shining smile Soul's way and he felt the heat on his cheeks again.

That certainly wasn't the answer Catherine wanted and she inhaled deeply before continuing, "Soul, have you given any thought to transferring?"

"Mom," Soul groaned.

Catherine was picking at the napkin in her lap. "Really, the fact that your brother teaches there is the only elevation and you won't even bother to be in his program…"

"I'm staying where I'm at," Soul enunciated each word.

"Especially since we just got an apartment close by," Maka added nonchalantly, her eyes blinking almost innocently as Catherine's face dropped.

"You _what?_"

Soul's gut churned. _That's right, you chicken, you didn't tell her like you promised Wes and now Maka's walking right into it._ He turned his head to her just in time to watch the feigned ignorance come to her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Catherine," Maka simply gushed the sentiment. "We completely forgot with all the planning for the wedding. I should have forwarded you the new address since Soul and I moved in together."

_Oh!_ Soul was instantly trying to quell the smirk that wanted to explode from his lips. _That's a giant 'fuck you,' Maka, so gently delivered that I could fucking kiss you._

Without even waiting for the reply Maka was adding on, "Remind me when the waiter comes around to ask for a pen so we don't forget now. We've been living together for a few months, after all. Maybe you and Lewis should visit before the semester starts and we get too busy."

"Living together?" Catherine hissed in Soul's direction.

"We are," Maka beamed. "And I'm so glad we found a suitable spot. Any day now I should hear back from the graduate program and that'll mean an extra year at university for me while Soul settles into whatever work he wants." Now Maka was gushing, the excitement bringing her closer to leaning across the table, making sure the words had a short trip to Catherine's ears. "I mean, we're not engaged or anything, but I think we're settling in just fine. Who knows, maybe the marriage bug will take us eventually. Either way, we needed a good place for a long-term stay and I think we found it."

_That's dangerous, Maka,_ he wanted to grab her and mutter in her ear, knowing that most of this was a show, a steady, brave play to put Catherine in her place. At the same time, that tugged on his heartstrings a little too much for his liking. _That's teasing me almost as much as her._

Catherine's face was turning an interesting shade almost bordering on violet as she primly excused herself, shoes clapping against the ground as she threw etiquette to the wind to stop away. Lewis grunted some kind of vague approval and then stared absently at his plate, knowing better than to venture after his wife.

Soul couldn't decide what was more of a thrill, the way her face held onto only the triumph with none of the pain or that soft promise of eventually.

* * *

Soul got behind the wheel, put the car in drive, and let the silence hang for a good ten minutes before the words practically galloped off his tongue. "Tell me what Lizzie and you were talking about."

Maka sighed and pressed her hand over her mouth, gathering the words until she turned her head slowly to him. "She asked if we'd gotten engaged."

It hadn't necessarily been what Soul had expected at all, but the word still sputtered from his mouth, "What?"

"She had expected you'd do something last night."

_Fuck_ did he ever want to know what tone of voice that was. Was that exasperated? Annoyed at the idea that another person was tossing the idea of a wedding at her? Was it hopeful? Was it forlorn like he _should have_ done something last night? A shriveling breath in his throat was all he could offer.

"I told her that you hadn't, that we weren't, that…" Maka turned her face to the window, letting the glass cool her cheek. "There's no pressure."

"No pressure," Soul echoed nervously. _There isn't. It's not like some green card marriage, she's not going anywhere and as far as you know she's still not ready, just thinking._ But as his mind relived the moment he couldn't help but question, "Then what were you smiling about?"

It was her turn from the choked sound to eke out of her throat. "Soul, you have to understand…"

His stomach turned into a knot as she tugged on his sleeve.

"Pull over."

"What?"

"_Pull over_." She pointed to the side of the road and he acquiesced, that knot becoming a complete wall, blocking the air from hitting his diaphragm. As soon as he put the car in park, her hands were on his face, turning his eyes to hers. She was studying him until she leaned in slowly, her lips just brushing his.

"What do I have to understand?" he asked breathlessly.

"That maybe…" Her face settled back, her lips pressing to suppress some of the trembling that had started. "You keep hearing that I don't _want _to marry you. I don't know why that's what this keeps translating to so please, listen this time. Before you, it's not something I thought about, dreamed, made myself comfortable with. Even after you came along, it was something put far to the side because I wasn't even sure you'd stay with me. But, honestly, I don't think it's ever been a never. I'm not sure there's a time when you would have gotten an exasperated or anxious '_no' _unless maybe you tried during Halloween."

Her fingers clutched tighter into his cheeks. "So I smiled because I…" Maka tilted her head to the side, her eyes veering to his shoulder. "Maybe I like it, too, when other people assume. When they think we're so much in love that nothing else is possible. Because I'm _hopeful_, Soul. I'm hopeful that I'll get to a place where I don't worry about it, where I don't feel unsure, and when you ask I won't have to hesitate and tell you to wait, but easily say yes." His cheeks were burning, the pink there offering him at least a little satisfaction.

"What do I have to do?" He hated the begging quality in his voice but had no choice.

"Just keep being you," she murmured with a smile.


	28. A Surprise

Another little teaser because I really want to keep the momentum going. Hopefully this will make you smile.

* * *

If only Maka knew that Soul had told himself the same thing - that away from the wedding the intensity would start to die down. Life would take over as it was bound to do and the two of them would be swept back into normalcy. For the most part, that was true, especially as summer wound into fall, classes taking most of their time and effort and schedules for work leaving them kissing as they passed by each other more often than not. Some nights he would crawl into bed and it would only be a few hours that he'd get to hold her, to settle in and feel her warmth before she was crawling out.

In those moments, Soul couldn't help but love her. He had to admit he was needy for them, gobbling up any second she offered him, but he wasn't pining. He knew her soft touch would be there, her kisses were an inevitability that he could rely on like the sun rising every day. He was comfortable, and Maka never gave him any sense she felt otherwise. Soul guessed that was why it'd never left, that nagging thought in the back of his mind that asking her that question felt right, no matter how early, no matter what stood in the way. As September started, it bubbled up each time they did have a quiet moment together, school and work set aside so he could run his fingers through her hair.

_Do you want to do this forever? _would pop into his mind as he wrapped his arm around her on the couch as she pressed her nose in a book.

_Would you let me be with you for the rest of our lives?_ would nearly tumble from his lips as he cleared the hair from her face as she lay next to him.

_Can I change those initials on the handkerchief?_ would practically ease out of his mouth when she moved the token of love he'd so nervously put together, something she did often like it needed a new spot to be displayed every few days.

That leaked into October, those thoughts no longer just droplets but a steady stream. Not to mention time was ticking away before their anniversary and a birthday that he desperately needed to celebrate. Those being so close together, a one-two punch of important events, sent him into a nervous panic since it had to be _perfect_, everything about it and _damn it_, did he need help.

Calling the two women had been hard. Keeping it from Maka had been even harder, since how do you lie to her? How do you look her in the face and say, '_Hey, going out to lunch with Wes'_ without instantly caving? So he didn't. Soul picked a day she was working and slipped out, no excuses for his location if she was busy and wouldn't know that he was popping down to the cafe a few blocks away.

Even though Tsubaki was already there it didn't feel like relief rushing into his veins but more bubbling anxiety especially as her face was plastered with a quizzical smile. "Hey, Tsubaki. I, uh, invited my sister-in-law, too. Just let me text her and-"

"No need," Lizzie chimed from behind him. If he had nails he'd have climbed halfway up the wall, his heart thundering in his chest instead. "Hello, Soul." To make matters worse, Lizzie embraced him, thankfully only for a few seconds before moving to the seat next to Tsubaki. "I'm the sister-in-law, Lizzie."

"I guess I'm the friend, Tsubaki." Tsubaki offered her hand to Lizzie, getting a gentle shake in return.

"Oh, Maka's friend from school, right?" Lizzie was leaning in excitedly already. "It's so wonderful to meet you, Maka is…"

Soul was drowning in his head, Lizzie's gushing turning into a buzz in his ears. _What am I doing? I haven't even talked to her again about it, not once since the car ride home from the wedding, and now I'm planning… I'm planning… what exactly? What am I doing?_

"Soul." Lizzie's hand was the thing that really woke him, grabbing at his wrist. "Sit down."

Soul plopped into the seat, staring at the two of them as if they'd asked him here.

Lizzie turned her head to exchange a quick smile with Tsubaki before looking back at him. "We were just saying, it's her birthday soon, right?"

"Our anniversary, too," Soul barely squeezed out, still feeling breathless from the circling thoughts in his head.

"She rarely _wants_ to do anything for her birthday," Tsubaki let out a wistful sigh. "I've tried, but it's usually something little like a cake, or treating her to a movie. She mostly waits around for…"

Soul felt that grind into his gut, "For what?"

"Well, her mom usually calls," Tsubaki's huff was only a third of the disdain-filled breath that Soul let out. "Her dad definitely always does, but sometimes her mom doesn't. Maybe the next day or by the end of the week."

"Oh," Lizzie added weakly before settling a hand over Soul's on the table. "Well, are we trying to change this year?"

"Yeah," Soul mumbled as he tried to pull himself together. _You're making it sound like you don't want to, so get it together_. "Yeah, definitely," he tried to give it the emphasis it deserved but his nerves still make the words tremble. "And that's why I need you two because I want to take her somewhere. Just the two of us, maybe start some kind of tradition so it's not just waiting by a phone." That felt so bitter coming off his tongue and he tried to remind himself of the happiness he was hoping to create. "I'm just worried that, I don't know, somehow I'll ruin it."

"I don't think spoiling her is going to ruin her birthday," Tsubaki added a gentle laugh.

"It's not just that," Soul took another shaky breath and he brought a hand to his forehead, resting his elbow against the table to keep himself up. "After this I was… well, I needed you two because…"

"Spit it out, Soul," Lizzie urged.

He took a deep breath, letting the hand run through his hair before turning his eyes to the two women. _This is it. _"I was hoping you'd help me pick out a ring."

There were hundreds of possible reactions and Soul had mentally run through them all over the last couple of months. Maka had fessed up to Lizzie asking, so he had assumed there was some kind of anticipation there, but whether or not it was _joyful_ expectancy was a whole other story. He couldn't make any guesses with Tsubaki since really, she was Maka's only confidante and that left him even more petrified of her reaction. If she balked, what did that say about how his intentions would be received? But, honestly, in the panic of it all he'd already settled on this first shot being a refusal, sullenly following in his brother's footsteps.

"A ring?" Tsubaki hand clapped over her mouth and the fear clenched his heart until he realized her eyes were watering.

"Finally," Lizzie eased out a sigh of relief.

Soul woke from his stupor, both reactions in a safe, manageable range. "You can't give me a '_finally,'_ Lizzie, since last time I checked she still wasn't a hundred percent sold."

Tsubaki shook her head, "She was working on it. Oh, Soul, do you think she's…?"

Soul barely had the life in his shoulders to bob them, the shrug feeling like a feat of strength. "Don't know. Somehow I've still got enough balls to take a shot at it, or at least buy the damn thing and let it burn a hole in my pocket."

"We'll plan something so perfect that she'll be completely without a doubt." Lizzie patted at his hand before stealing another glance at Tsubaki. "I think between the three of us we can design a trip that will give Maka everything she deserves."

* * *

Maka was surprised to find him out of bed since if he wasn't at the studio when she got home from the museum he was usually at least a foot under blankets. Even stranger he was simply standing at his dresser, a hand with a death grip on one of the pulls. "Soul?"

In reply, he practically jumped out of his skin, a helpless yelp slipping from his lips.

She couldn't help herself, releasing a giggle at his out of the ordinary panic. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" It was a sincere protest if she'd ever heard one.

"Nothing?" She took a step towards him but he took a step back, his knees buckling and putting him into a hard seat on the bed.

"Nothing," the octave of his voice was back in the normal range but his eyes still spelled out frantic messages.

"Nothing." Maka hummed thoughtfully before starting towards the hamper and beginning to peel off her outfit. "If I say, 'you're being weird' right now, what reply am I going to get?"

She could hear him collapse back against the bed, a huff of air forced from his mouth. "The truth."

"Which is?" Maka supplemented the question with that particular no-nonsense glare over her shoulder.

"I am being weird," he offered lamely.

"Then why are you being weird?" she clarified with a sigh.

"Because I'm hiding something," he muttered.

It was an icicle jabbed in her gut, an old fear surfacing from a place she wasn't expecting. _He's keeping secrets, he's done something, it was all right and fine and perfect but now it's over and-_

"And I can only tell you part of it right now." He must have read the tightness in her shoulders, the way they hunched at the terrible thoughts that glanced over her mind because he was suddenly there, hands gripping her waist just as she pulled her shirt over her head. "And you have to do me a favor and not ask for the rest because I _will_ cave. I just think it's in your best interest to let part of this be a surprise."

"A surprise?" Gone were the panicked thoughts especially as she turned and found that wide, playful grin on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I need you to take off for Thanksgiving Recess."

"Why?"

"Because it's the first break we'll have after your birthday, after our anniversary, and I'm taking advantage of it. We're lucky this year that it works out to an entire week, so I'm taking you somewhere." He tugged at her hips, bringing her close enough that he could stare her down, making sure he didn't falter on the next part. "And don't give me some bullshit about '_it's too much' _because I distinctly remember someone telling me that we're not allowed to be gloomy when being spoiled."

"Not _we_, _you,_" Maka urged but knew it was hopeless. It was that look again, the smoldering '_I love you'_ eyes that he was not so innocently using against her. "Soul, it's _just_ my birthday."

"You expect me to accept that?" He raised his eyebrows.

A swift sigh of defeat parted her lips. "No…"

"I'll compromise and say one fancy dinner, and I'll limit myself to two gifts."

"That's hardly a compromise," Maka groaned. "One gift."

"One and a half," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You can't give half a gift."

"Maybe if I find something for the both of us," he murmured. "And maybe I'll keep that one to give you during the vacation."

"Fine," Maka muttered. "One on my birthday, one on vacation. One dinner, and then this better not be outrageous Soul or I'll-"

He didn't let her get the rest out, his lips needily pressing against hers. "You'll suck it up, Maka. I'm not the only one who has to get used to being happy."


	29. Change of Plans

You know what they say about perfectly laid plans... Enjoy :)

* * *

"Hi, Papa!"

Soul was happy it was just her voice twittering over the phone rather than opening the door.

"No, it's been nice," Maka continued to chirp. "We had the Halloween party, then our anniversary dinner, and as we speak he's in the kitchen cooking."

He loved the bragging quality in her voice, letting it strengthen him as he continued to fuss over pots.

"Ah, well, I'll get the birthday present after dinner," a deliciously wistful sigh broke her lips which was music to his ears, "but he's taking me away during Thanksgiving Recess."

The pause was longer than expected after that line and Soul found himself leaning towards the hallway, ears open.

"Papa, don't be stupid," she had lowered her voice for the chastising. "It's not like I'm skipping out on Christmas again. I'm sorry I won't be around for you to burn a turkey breast, but this is _important_." Her huffing continued as Soul was sure Spirit was listing injuries. "I told you, it's important. I… Papa, I just really want to go, alright? So don't make a fuss. It means a lot to me."

The muscles in his stomach trembled and Soul had to stop himself from rushing into the hallway to grab hold of her, give her a kiss or something, anything that would let her know it meant just as much to him. _Because I'm going to ask you. I'm going to ask you that question that I've wanted to for a while and I'm hoping the only answer you can give is yes. Fuck, Maka, give me a yes._ He clutched into the counter instead, waiting for the end of the conversation.

"No, I haven't heard from Mama yet." And just like that the elation fluctuated into displeasure, his only choice to let the breath hiss between his teeth.

When Tsubaki had told him Maka waited by the phone, Soul had been sure it was some kind of exaggeration. Instead, it was too close for comfort, Maka taking the day for her birthday not to spend it pampering herself and being spoiled, but sitting around the house, anticipating the trill of the phone.

"Papa, please don't. She will call," Maka pressed.

_Spirit, that would be the first time I'd ever agree with you. Call her and get her to give her daughter her due. _Soul ground a fist into the counter.

"Alright, Papa, yes, next week. And you know I'm happy you called, OK? I love you." There was a pause before the click of the phone. He could hear her breathing, trying to bring herself down before her footsteps started for the kitchen.

Soul completely ruined trying to look like he hadn't been listening, meeting her in the doorway with two hands eager to grab her waist and pull her in. "Don't cry," he murmured into her hair as he clutched her tightly.

"Who said I was crying?" The warble in her voice was betraying her as her fingers played with the fabric at his back.

"Nobody, just a warning," he murmured. "Though, not that I have much of a threat to go with it. Won't take away your presents and you'll still get dinner."

Maka let out a trembling laugh, "Why would I be crying anyway? I have everything right here."

"That's cute, but you don't have to lie to boost my ego," he muttered as he ran his fingers through her hair. "How often doesn't she call?"

"It's a fifty-fifty shot," she sighed.

His hand went firmly to the back of her neck, tangling in her hair there to coax her to tilt her head back. "What can I do?"

"First, make sure dinner's not burning." She put her hands firmly on his chest, pushing him back and turning him back towards the oven. Even though he resisted, she got to his back, wrapping her arms around him again so she could press her cheek to his back. "Then just tell me nice things."

"Nice things?" Soul pondered this as he continued at the arrangement on the stove.

Maka was leeching the warmth from him, trying to steady her heart with the best of his. "Kind of like your chatter just without the undressing."

"Huh," Soul laughed. "Not sure that's how it works. Your body is usually the best inspiration."

"I'll count that as nice," Maka giggled.

"You should," Soul emphasized with a pat to her hand. "Remember that first time on your bed? _Fuck_, I was ready to list every last body part, fingers to toes, since every last inch of you is what I want. Not to mention your fingers through my hair still drives me wild."

"You're ridiculous," she murmured but squeezed him tighter.

"What?" Soul balked as he started turning off the burners. "You telling me there's nothing I still do that drives you wild? Please tell me we're not in some boring phase." That beg was playful but in his mind still half true.

She sighed, playfully trying to produce annoyance, "You're fishing for a compliment."

"So what if I am?" he shot back.

Maka squeezed him again. "When you put your hand at the small of my back. Like at the museum, you still do it every time no matter what and I… I can't imagine any other way to walk beside you. Hand holding is barely enough."

"See? Was that so hard?" He let a slow sigh out as he leaned back into her. "I promise I'll always do that."

"I promise I'll always do this," she replied quickly as her hand reached up and her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Promise I'll always love you, fingers to toes."

She laughed, "Seems hard to promise."

"Nah, it's too easy. Give me something hard to promise."

There was a dangerous pause as her arms loosened, giving him the option to turn but he stood frozen. "Promise me you won't forget about me."

"Maka…" There was no fear large enough to stop him from coming face to face with her, his fingers instantly moving to catch the tears on her cheeks. "I told you something hard. That's even easier than all the rest."

"It doesn't seem too hard to do," she murmured as her lips trembled.

"Oh, Maka…" The only thing containing his anger was the sorrow, too busy trying to find the best way to stitch her heart back together even though part of him wanted to explode. Soul had always felt Catherine was cruel but at least she paid attention, gave him his due even if it was to berate him for each choice. This was worse, the absence, the hole where there should be love.

"You won't, you can't." She cupped her hands over his, pressing them tightly to her cheeks.

"I definitely won't, and of course I fucking can't," he muttered before pulling her lips to his. "Just don't even think about that." He paused for another lingering kiss, only broken by the hiccups of air after her sobs. "Please, Maka," he knew he was begging as he breathed out across her lips. "That's the last thing I want you to think about. If it helps, I…" _I've got a ring hiding in my sock drawer with your fucking name on it and I can do it right now. I can give you that promise because I'll never forget you. I'd never want to._

As he was swallowing again, feeling the dry click as the anxiety took him, the phone stirred from the hallway again. Those wide green eyes opened, blinking at him for a moment before the sound hit again and she tapped his hands. "One second."

"Yeah." He released her, letting his hands fall uselessly at his sides. _Or I could chicken out and let you answer the phone._ "Damnit," he muttered under his breath as her feet sounded down the hallway.

"Hello?" Her voice was hopeful with only a hint of sniffles. "Mama! Hi!"

Soul felt a rush of relief at the word. He left dinner on the stove and walked after her, putting a gentle hand at the small of her back. Maka threw an achingly huge smile over her shoulder to him. _Spirit, if you did this, I actually owe you one. Hopefully, I never find out._

"No, just allergies," she lied uneasily and Soul flexed his fingers against her shirt. "I'm fine, really. Just something sweet. Soul was being, well, Soul. It's a good cry, Mama." That lie was better and obviously went over more convincingly but while Soul was pleased with the content he wasn't with the idea that Maka couldn't tell that woman how much she'd hurt her, how much the past stuck with her. "Oh, Mama, really?" That was drenched into a barely reigned in excitement and Soul leaned forward, bordering on eavesdropping. "I mean, of course, I'd love for you to visit."

_Again, Spirit, if you did this, I owe you._ He could only imagine the anticipation building in her, the deluge of joy starting to bubble at the idea of more than a phone call.

"But, Mama…" Maka's voice warbled hesitantly, her eyes flicking over her shoulder to Soul. "No, I can't. We won't be home since Soul's made a surprise trip for my birthday and-" He watched her shoulders sink. "No, I understand, I know your schedule's not exactly flexible…"

A never-ending string of curses started rattling in his brain. Maka dared to glance back at him again, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip, and this time he caught her chin. He gestured to her, sticking his pointer up.

"Could you hold on one second, Mama?" Maka slowly slipped her hand over the receiver before his name came out of her mouth as an aching sigh, "Soul…"

"I'll reschedule." He tilted her chin up to ensure her eyes couldn't leave his. "The trip can wait. Tell your mom we'll see her for Thanksgiving." Maka opened her mouth quickly and he knew the first thing off of her tongue was going to be an argument so he used that floating finger to press against her lip. "Not taking no for an answer. Surprise can wait."

With a quaking breath, Maka dropped her hand from the receiver as Soul removed his finger. "Mama, why don't you come for Thanksgiving, like you said. We'll make it work." Her eyebrows were furrowing at him, the smile and joy completely disappeared as she continued to nibble at her lip.

Soul pressed his lips to her forehead, half for her comfort but also to hide the frustration on his face. _If she went on the trip knowing she missed out on her mom, it'll be ruined. That's all she'll think about and I know it. _Still, the vexation settled in his gut, churning it. He listened to her mumble through the rest of the conversation as his hands roamed her back. Maka turned from him and when the phone clicked back on its casing he instantly released the words. "It's good your mom's coming."

"Soul…" she sighed.

"Look, I'll be honest," he planted his hands firmly on her shoulders. "I'm, I don't know, disappointed, I guess, but that's what it has to be. You have to see your mom."

"I don't-" Maka cut herself off with a hand to her face.

"You have to," he urged back. "You don't have to tell me for me to know. I get it." He let his hands drift down her arms. "So I'm not arguing. I agree and I'll just have to figure out the rest."

She was silent, but at least her shoulders weren't hunched and he couldn't hear any more sputtering breaths from tears.

"Can you get dinner on the table?" He turned her, those green eyes filled to the brim with something he couldn't read. "I just want to make a few phone calls. I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright," she murmured. Maka hesitated for another second before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "Don't take too long."

"Won't." He watched her go before walking into the bedroom, closing the door behind him and digging for his cellphone. He clicked Lizzie's contact and waited through the agonizing rings.

"Soul, hello!" Lizzie was beaming. "How is it? Did she like the dress?"

"Didn't give it to her yet," Soul muttered, another thing put on hold. "Listen, Lizzie…"

"What?" Her voice suddenly went sharp.

"Trip's off. Or at least postponed." It hurt, a fresh wave of anxiety and bitterness rolling in his stomach.

"_What?_" Her tone should have cracked the phone in his hands. "Did something happen? Is Maka alright? Are you alright?"

He sighed, "All OK, just her mom decided to surprise us. She's coming to visit and it just so happens to be during Thanksgiving Recess."

"Oh," Lizzie withered on the other end. "And there's not changing it? Maka was firm?"

"Maka wasn't firm, I was. Told her to scrap it, her mom was more important," another grumble from his lips.

"Oh, Soul," Lizzie's smile was audible. "You really are a romantic fool."

Soul sucked his teeth in reply as he walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer. His hand reached in, feeling towards the back and the velveteen box. "If I was I wouldn't let anything get in my way of doing this."

"No," Lizzie chided. "Plenty will get in the way because you're always thinking of her first, hence the romantic part. Don't make this rush you. Give it its due time, Soul."

His mind flitted back to the memory of Kilik, the way that it had always been impossible to impose deadlines for them. "Yeah, I guess. You guys want the tickets?"

"Oh, that would be lovely but we're stuck with my parents that week since we promised _your_ parents Christmas," Lizzie mourned.

"Can you have Wes ask Dad? He'll probably _love_ the opportunity to wow Mom," Soul gritted through his teeth.

"Wes will be right on it," Lizzie chimed. "And, darling, again, don't let this derail you. You did the right thing even if it doesn't feel like it right now."

"Yeah, thanks, Lizzie. Bye." He waited for her to echo the sentiment before hanging up and leaving his phone on the top of the dresser. Soul couldn't resist, digging his hand in one more time to feel the box and sigh. Three rubs of his thumb and then he slid the drawer quietly closed and forced himself out of the bedroom. He walked into the living room, expecting her to be sitting and eating but instead Maka was right there as he turned the corner, arms quickly fastening around his waist.

"Thank you," she murmured into his chest.

"Not something you need to thank me for," he whispered back, pressing his lips to her hairline. _She just better make this the best damn birthday you've ever had._


	30. Rin

The delay on this has been absurd, and I'm so sorry. Honestly, I technically have the ending written, but here's the problem: I do and don't want to end the fic. I might end up being a jerk and doing an ending + epilogue like I did for Jealousy. Let me know if you'll hate me for that.

* * *

There was no word in the dictionary to properly describe the tumultuous mix of emotions Maka was currently swimming in. She was watching him fix his tie as she smoothed her hands over the new dress he'd given her for her birthday. Maybe the first of the mix was shame, knowing that this should only be worn for their trip, even though he had assured her seventeen different ways that it didn't matter. Then anxiety because how could he be so calm? Soul, whose mother could make him fly off the handle with a simple word, was probably the most level-headed she'd ever seen him beside the expected amount of nervousness. He was meeting her mother for the first time, after all, and he was lucky that Spirit didn't somehow elbow in.

"Ready?" He asked the mirror.

"Yup," Maka tried to add the light and airy pep as she bounced off the bed.

"You know," Soul mused as he turned a smile to her. "I guess it kind of works out for me. I do get to take you on two special dinners."

"Soul…"

"And the dress fits perfectly." He ran a hand over her hip to the small of her back, pulling her a step closer. "And you look beautiful."

Maka sighed, "Thank you."

Soul tucked a tendril of hair away from her face. "Don't think about it, OK? Promise me you'll try."

"Of course I'll try," she murmured. "Being able to _do_ is a whole other thing."

"It'll be easier once you see your mom." Soul tipped her chin, letting him plant a soft kiss on her lips. "Should be here any minute, right?"

"Hopefully," Maka blew the word out with a sickly breath.

He stole one more kiss, calling forth the ring of the doorbell because he always had to be interrupted. "Go get it. Try not to scream too loud or the neighbors will complain." Maka gave a breathless laugh before she dashed past him and into the hallway. Soul waited, listening to the scuttling and soft cries as the front door opened. He took a few more breaths, straightening his tie with the thought that the only story her mother had actually heard was probably the New Year's mess. _Don't mess this up._

As soon as he was in the hallway Maka was pulling her mother forward. "Soul, this is my mother, Rin." Honestly, the only difference between her and Maka was the age and the wave to Rin's hair. It was surreal, finally giving Soul a taste of the medicine everyone else got when they looked between him and Wes.

"Nice to meet you," Soul held out a hand and was happy she didn't hesitate, touching his hand lightly with icy fingers.

"Same, Maka's had a lot to say. As well as Spirit," Rin chimed the last sentence.

_Hopefully, you like me better,_ but that was a thin hope.

Thankfully, Soul didn't have to create something appropriate to say as Maka grasped Rin's now free hand. "Mama, let's go, the reservation is for six and the car's already here."

"Alright," Rin acquiesced, letting Maka lead her back to the door. She threw her head over her shoulder. "You're wealthy, then?"

Soul let out a sharp laugh, "I work hard."

"Soul works at least two jobs and school, Mama," Maka's tone said that was a reminder, not new information.

Regardless, Rin ignored it, letting the second line string from her mouth, "But your family is."

"Sure," Soul shrugged. He wanted to continue to list the trials he'd been through in an effort to maintain on his own but he let it go, especially as Maka's soft eyes came to him warmed by a smile.

Rin was seemingly waiting for a comeback, her steps hesitant down the stairwell. Instead, Maka filled the silence with conversations on the ins and outs of their lives. Soul could almost enjoy the bubbling stream of their happiness if it weren't for Rin's glances at him, the over-critical glare tearing him limb from limb. The drive was the worst, leaving him with only the two of them to look at, trying his best to focus on Maka and let his smile undulate with her retellings.

_Try and concentrate on what she's saying since she's gushing about you. Honestly, you should be embarrassed, blushing_. And he was. Hearing her pick apart every last thing he'd done and by extension, they'd done fed a new kind of pride in his chest, especially as her voice took on this beautiful sure quality. Even the blank face that Rin used to acknowledge it couldn't penetrate the feeling. He rode that all the way to the restaurant before flipping back into gentleman-mode, opening doors and offering helping hands. Maka rolled her eyes at it, bringing his smirk back to life.

Soul knew the restaurant was nothing more than another show of opulence, seeing Rin's eyebrows raise as they entered, but he gave up and gave in, taking a page from Wes's playbook and ordering wine for the table. _If she thinks I'm some spoiled brat, let her. Hopefully, it's a better impression than getting the shit kicked out of me._ That thought offered him some amusement as the waiter poured their wine.

Maka finally let go of the reins, offering her mother space in the conversation. "So, Mama, how has work been?"

_Yeah, Rin, how's that job that keeps you from calling, from seeing your daughter? _Soul tried to keep the sourness from his face.

"Busy, as always, but we've been expanding, so it's understandable." Rin offered a smile to Maka, one that seemed like a hollow echo of the beautiful one her daughter could produce. It was the first in a list Soul was making to disprove his original theory of mother and child being carbon copies. "And with that comes some good news. They're opening another office on the East Coast and I've opted to transition there."

"That's wonderful!" Maka gushed and Soul tried to give her a glowing smile that came close to matching hers, but his doubt was dissonance in his head.

_And when she's that close and ignoring you, won't it hurt more?_ Soul ran a quick hand through his hair before trying to keep himself from gulping the wine. _Don't get started on that. You're getting defensive. You're going to blow before you even get to appetizers._ "Means you'll be close? It'd be nice for Maka to have more than just her Dad within visiting distance." Swallowing after that was hard, hearing the bitterness that he'd tried to wash away and seeing the annoyance register on Rin's face.

"Closer," Rin vaguely corrected. "And Spirit has said _you_ take up most of Maka's time as it is."

"You know Papa," Maka tried to laugh it off but she wasn't blind to the stiffening between the two of them. "Sometimes it feels like we barely get to see each other as it is. Soul's working a lot and I was accepted into this Master's program that I applied for so I've been prepping."

"A Master's program?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"It's this great hybrid program…"

Soul was thankful she could once again rein in the moment, but it brought with it a strange realization. _This is what she does. Defuses. I bet she did it for them before the divorce and when we started that's what those phone calls were for, weren't they? The ones from her dad that used to set her off? She eases the tensions but it becomes her job and I'm forcing her to do that again._ Soul waited for Maka's sentence to dwindle before he picked up where she left off.

Maka blinked at him at first, but she knew he'd heard the description enough times to be able to recite it in his sleep. And for the entirety of ordering and the subsequent wait for dinner, Maka found the job of speaking and mediating the friction was stolen away from her as Soul continued to spout one happening after another. She wasn't sure she'd heard him speak so much and again she was struck by the way that he wasn't just keeping his cool but showing it, that vague apathy uplifted slightly by the half-strength smile on his lips.

When she found a space to speak again, it was balanced by him, not trying to speak for her but to take half the weight as Rin seemed to ease into the divided discussion. Maka wanted to blame it on the wine, the buzz in her head of the dissonance from the usual reality of her life: she was always responsible for keeping her mother and father in line. Except, suddenly, there was a second voice, another hand in the fight that didn't so much seem like a battle anymore because it wasn't solely on her shoulders. As dinner turned into dessert, she looked at Soul and realized it was her partner she was looking at. Not just a boyfriend or a lover but someone invested.

As they walked out of the restaurant she could even laugh at Rin's final complaint. "Darling, I think he talks far too much."

* * *

Maka eased into bed, a lengthy sigh parting her lips as she rolled over to face him. Soul always seemed half asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and when she reached out and touched him he startled. "Soul…"

"Maka…" he copied as his hand reached out to grip at her waist and pull her closer. A contented sigh broke his lips as he finally got her shimmied close enough that he could wrap his arm all the way around her, bringing her head to his chest.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

This sigh wasn't half so content, "For what?"

"What you had planned… it wasn't something small, was it?" Her fingers worried into his t-shirt.

"Nope." Soul pressed his lips to her hairline. "But, like I said, no big deal, Maka."

"But I _ruined_ it."

"It's not ruined," he laughed that one out as he patted her back softly. "You're acting like you wanting to hang with your mom is a crime. I get it. This kind of visit takes priority especially since I know it's been a while."

"But she's just as impossible as my dad and I know you're not having a good time, even though you're trying." Maka felt the sting in her eyes and was happy to hide her face against his shirt.

"I _am _having a good time," Soul corrected. "Maybe not with your mom, sure, but you being happy is what I consider a good time, so if that takes stomaching a few not-so-appreciative comments then so be it. For fuck's sake, compared to Catherine-"

A short sob choked from her throat. "But, Soul-"

"Hey," he stopped her as he pulled back, letting that arm move from its protective hold to dry her cheeks. "Are you happy when you're with your mom? Be honest."

"Yes," she murmured.

"Then I'm happy," he urged back as he rubbed another line of tears from her face. "Just, I guess that means you can't complain when you get a little extra spoiling at Christmas. Consider it rescheduling the big show from your birthday." A cheesy grin punctuated that comment and Soul was hoping against hope that she would mirror it.

Instead, Maka pressed her lips together to quell the trembling. "What was it?"

"Ah, Maka, come on." He tried to pull her close again but she resisted.

"Tell me," she urged.

"If I tell you my master plan, how am I supposed to reuse it?" He tried the grin again, letting it fade as it failed a second time. "Maka, I don't want you thinking about what could have been and letting it ruin this time with your mom. We've got plenty more chances for vacations."

Maka didn't bat an eye before the new questions tumbled off her tongue. "So it was going somewhere? Were we going far?"

Looking at those emerald eyes made him crumble. "I had plane tickets."

Maka huffed, "Soul…"

"Which I talked Dad into buying off of me," he shrugged. "So, again, no big deal. No loss. I mean, I feel like there's an irony to _Mom_ getting to go on our romantic getaway, but I'm trying not to think about that."

"You used the _r-word_." That finally produced a grin from her and Soul savored it.

"I was trying." Soul backtracked over the panic of planning in his mind as he was finally able to laugh at himself. "I know just about anything was going to blow last year's absolutely nothing out of the water, but I was looking to set a precedent, you know? Asked Lizzie and Tsubaki."

Maka studied his face and suddenly Soul felt like she was seeing right through him again, details of the puzzle coming into clarity in her mind just by looking into his eyes. "Were we going out of the country?"

"Yeah," he whispered weakly.

"Soul," she groaned, "You talked to Lizzie, so it was France, wasn't it?"

"Thought that garden was a good place to start and then kind of let you lead the way through Lizzie's suggestions." His admission had the opposite effect of his intention and he watched helplessly as the tears started again. "Hey, Maka, come on, I told you-"

"To France, Soul?" She sat up quickly as her hands came to her eyes to clear away the tears. Her voice forced frustratedly from her throat, "You planned all that and I made you toss it out because my mom is here!"

_Shit happens,_ is what wanted to come off his lips but he restrained himself. "Are you mad?"

"No," she warbled before she turned her eyes back to him. "But you should be."

"Me?" He raised his eyebrows. "I don't need to be mad."

"Yes, you do," she groaned. "It wasn't fair that you put in all that hard work and I just-"

Soul eased himself up next to her, grabbing her chin. "_You_ didn't do anything. Your mom surprised you, remember? It's not like you took a look at my plans and said you had something better to do."

"I should have-"

"No," he cut her off quickly. "See, this is exactly what I didn't want. Don't compare it. Don't think '_we could be there'_ right now. It didn't happen and that's fine. I'm still making it work here, getting a little bit of my romance in." Soul let himself pause here, pulling her chin forward so their lips could meet shortly. "And I told you, important thing is you're happy. I see it. You wanted this, needed this probably more than some trip."

"I did want to see her," she murmured powerlessly.

"Yeah, I know." He nuzzled his nose to hers before sighing. "Please don't ask me to be mad, then, OK? This isn't some win-lose thing. I'm enjoying what I have and that's all." Something clicked and her head jutted back, her eyes staring widely for a moment at him. "What?" Soul offered a tentative smirk, trying to gauge what could have surprised her.

Maka was blinking slowly at him, her gears definitely turning as she let her mouth open and close a few times before the words were perfected. "Soul, is it ever going to be a win-lose thing?"

"What, you mean with stuff like this?" Soul furrowed his brows. "No, I don't like that way of doing things. We always talk it out. Maybe I overreact, maybe you hold onto things a little too long before spilling, but we always meet in the middle afterward, right?"

"I'm never going to lose," she murmured.

"Because we're always going to win," he offered back. "You OK? What's going on in your head right now?"

"Hypotheticals." Maka turned her head out of his grasp, running a hand over her face as she pulled up her knees. There was that feeling again, in the pit of her stomach, not the terrible kind, the one when you forgot your homework or you saw the boy you like kissing another girl, but that one during the drop in a rollercoaster when everything just slips out from underneath in a strange sort of exhilaration.

Soul's hand slowly touched her to her back. "You're scaring me a little."

"Don't be," she sighed as she rested her head against her knees. Maybe Maka was enjoying the feeling, that odd weightlessness because why shouldn't she? This was the kind of love people died for, fought for, and it had so easily fallen into her lap all because of a Biology class. "My parents were always the win-lose type. Mom had to be right, Dad had to be wrong, and that beat them down, hurt them."

Soul could only give a soft, "Oh."

"But, Soul…" Maka rolled her head, resting her cheek on her knee so she could look at him. "You promise that it's always going to be in the middle?"

"Always." Soul rubbed his hand along her back. "I love you too much to do anything else."

"So, hypothetically, if I got pregnant…"

Soul took a deep breath, trying not to let the confusion of a repeat conversation play across his face. "We'd figure out what was best for both of us."

A slow sort of smile was spreading across her lips, adding to that wonder on his face, "And if I got a job a million miles away?"

"A million isn't possible," he reproduced the words with a short laugh. "But the same. You and me, we work things out, Maka."

"And what if…" Maka squeezed her knees tighter, feeling his hand flex into her back as the pause lengthened. "What if I did want to get married?"

His hand froze and his eyebrows popped up as a sputter of a breath struggled from his lips. Soul couldn't cage his heart, feeling it shoot up into his throat because that hypothetical was too dangerous for him, especially with each worried moment since the subject was first broached. He'd almost been afraid that there would be no convincing, no happy ending like Wes and Lizzie, and that somehow he'd fail to show her. He did his best to bring air back into his lungs before squeaking out, "I guess I'd ask if we were talking about me or Simu Liu."

A sweet, soothing to his soul laugh trickled from her lips and Soul couldn't help himself, leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers. It was short and sweet, even though Maka had attempted to pull him in because Soul had to pause, had to clear the hair from her face, and look into those big green eyes before sighing out, "You mean it, Maka?"

"I could make a pros and cons list if you want," she murmured with a smile.

"Please don't," he pressed his forehead against hers. "You think about it that hard and you might go back."

Maka lingered over his lips for another moment before something close to contentment leaked out with her sigh. "I don't think so."


	31. No Big Deal

Special thanks to _**chobobo **_for talking some sense into me here. I mean, Suits and Skins (my other fic if you haven't checked it out) is like 40 something chapters and it just ended, so I can do the same to NBD. Look forward to a few more chapters after this, since I think I have some things in mind. And I know this is very short, just to tempt you, but I wanted this to stand alone.

* * *

Soul waited for once. Maka's admission had melted something away in him, a fear about time and that incessant need tempering down to just a dull throb. He waited for her mother to leave. He waited for the normal hum of their lives to continue. He waited for her first full shift back at the museum before he made the trek there after his last class of the day. He hung in the coffee shop until the second before closing, fiddling with the box in his pocket.

Maka had done a double-take when she saw him, ready to give the pleasant but internally screamed line of '_I'm sorry, sir, we're closing'_ until her brain caught up with the entirety of him. "Did I forget something?"

"Nah," he smirked. "Take a walk with me." Soul eased his hand to the small of her back, getting her one foot back into the museum.

"Sorry, sir, we're closed," she teased.

"Not just yet." He nodded at Hiro behind her who opened the door the rest of the way, leaving a bewildered Maka to step back through. "Thanks, Hiro."

Hiro beamed, "No problem, Soul."

Soul raised his eyebrows with a whistle.

"I've been working on him," Maka chirped. "Consider it an early Christmas gift."

"Exactly what I wanted." He planted a kiss on her cheek before continuing to lead her, a slow preamble through the low light.

"So, why am I taking a walk at work?" Maka leaned into the pleasant pressure at her back, feeling his fingers play against the fabric of her shirt.

"Because I missed you. Wanted some time that wasn't half-asleep in bed." Even though it was making his fingers twitch he let her set the pace, footsteps completely leisurely.

"We _just_ got done with break," she chided but in the next breath was sighing sweetly, "but thank you. I kind of wasn't looking forward to going home and finding you sleeping."

"Just kind of?" He smirked as she threw a useless glare his way. "Also wanted to keep you from arguing with me too much."

Maka laughed, "What are we arguing about?"

"That we're going away after New Year's," Soul offered as casually as he could since excitement had been bursting at the seams from the moment they walked through that door together.

"Soul…" Maka pressed her lips in a thin line, slowly the tempo of their steps much to Soul's agony. "_Maybe_, but then it's not about spoiling me, it's about _us_ having a good time, OK?"

"Both," he leaned closer, "because spoiling you is me having a good time."

She huffed, "France?"

"Wherever you want," Soul shot back instantly, pleased that she barely spent time berating him for the first point.

Maka's hands came to her cheeks. "It's just so expensive, and I know you're going to tell me it's _no big deal_ but shouldn't we be saving? Pinching pennies?"

"Sure," Soul nodded. "And we will, but remember, this one is paid for. Done deal. So you can argue money next time I try to float the idea of a trip."

She rolled her eyes, starting purposeful steps forward again. "Making the argument a problem for _future Soul_."

Soul chuckled before changing her trajectory, once again moving her to the right of the main hall.

"It's not there," Maka teased. "I thought I told you they rotated it."

"Did they?" Soul tried to sound as innocent as possible as he continued to bring her forward.

Maka narrowed her eyes at him before scanning the walls. "You didn't."

"I don't know what you're accusing me of," he teased as he took the last breathless step in front of the painting that would forever be burned into his mind.

"What are you up to?" Maka's eyes darted between the painting and him.

"Again, accusations," Soul tried to feign innocence but it was a happy failure as his smirk stole across his face. "It should be here as long as you're here."

Maka's attention settled back at the painting, her arms crossing her chest. "What else should I be accusing you of? It seems like you've been awful busy."

"A lot of things," Soul had to take a deep breath as the words threatened to warble from his mouth while his heart squeezed into his throat. "I've done a lot of things because of you. I've been trying to get rid of that bad habit of feeling lonely. I've fought for you in more ways than one. Definitely passed Bio," he managed a short laugh as she turned her eyes to blink at him. "You've kept me busy, and I honestly don't want to have it any other way, Maka."

"Me, too," Maka murmured as she relaxed one of her arms to reach out and touch his cheek. Her fingertips caressed his jawline just as his face slipped out of her grasp because Soul had dropped on one of his knees, his face staring up at her. "Oh," the air warbled from her throat as his hand slid down her arm, taking her hand in his.

"So I'm asking you, will you stay with me? Will you keep teaching me what it's like to be a good partner? Will you let me make sure you're never alone, ever again?"

"Those are a lot of questions," Maka murmured as her free hand drifted to her cheek.

"Guess I'll ask the big one, then." Soul reached into his pocket, flipping open the top of the velvet box with his thumb. He turned the box to her to display the delicate golden band with an emerald just perfectly styled to match her earrings. Technically, Tsubaki and Lizzie had been useless at this, Soul instantly pulled in as soon as he saw it, taking his gut's instant advice. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh," another shaky breath left her lips. He tried to let her take another minute, his fingers flexing against hers as he watched the tears come to her eyes. "Yes."

"Yes?" There was no floor beneath him anymore and he was sure his knee was about to crumble. "You mean yes, you'll marry me?"

Maka shook her hand in his, wiggling her finger as a few tears dribbled down her cheeks. "Yes to all of it, especially the last one."

It was Soul's turn to need a minute to breathe, his fingers shaking as he let go of her hand to fiddle with the ring. Easing it on her finger was a battle with his trembling hands but as soon as it hit its home he was on his feet, throwing his arms around her waist to lift her off the floor. "Thank you. Oh, fucking thank you, Maka."

"You were still worried?" Maka whispered against his cheek before she kissed it.

"Fuck _yes,_" Soul urged.

Maka leaned her head back, letting him get the full effect of her smile. "Don't. It was an easy yes."

He laughed softly, "No big deal?"

"No big deal."


	32. Hatching a Plan

I really apologize for how long this took! I promise I haven't forgotten about this fic. Just got sidetracked by the fantasy AU.

* * *

They sat at the cramped kitchen table with their laptops side by side, both calendars glaring from the screen. Maka had made tea uselessly as if the chamomile would actually calm the building anxiety of all the holiday mishaps Soul was inventing in his head. "So, Catherine said…?"

"Her preference was Christmas Eve for that goddamn party," Soul grimaced.

"Which is fine," Maka let a gentle hand smooth back his hair. "We'll head over a few days before-"

"A few days?" Soul spat. "_One_ is enough."

Maka let her eyes bat open and shut slowly in order to resist the urge to roll them. "Soul, if we're spending a few days at Papa's it's only fair to give your parents the same option."

Soul heaved forward with a groan, letting his forehead meet the table with an unsatisfying _thunk._ He spoke slowly and agonizingly to the floor, "OK, but we tell them about the engagement at the last possible moment."

"Deal," Maka conceded easily as she continued to pet his hair. "Then Christmas to just before New Years' Eve _Eve_ we're with my family since Mama promised she'd make at least a day's worth of an appearance."

"But we're telling them day one," Soul bit his tongue to keep a sigh from following that.

"As soon as Mama's there, yes." She planted a soft kiss at his temple to soften the blow, watching his legs fidget under the table regardless. "And then it's all over. We're free. We get to celebrate New Years' Eve and beyond wherever we want."

That finally brought a grin to his face as he lifted his head to show it off. "Which will be where?"

"Well…" She tried to temper her smile and not give away the fact that it'd been one of her foremost thoughts over the past couple of days. "Let's hold off on anywhere _big_."

"And the reasoning for that is…?" Soul took Maka's hands in his, his fingers instantly toying with the band of her ring.

Her eyes fell to the emerald as a peaceful smile pulled at her lips. "Well, because we have a wedding on the way and I kind of want to save the over the top things for that."

A satisfied grunt rumbled in his chest as he inched closer, his lips getting dangerously close. "You're going to marry me."

"I did agree to that, yes." Maka got one short giggle out before the rest were closed off by his kisses.

* * *

Soul was desperately watching the window for Wes. This was all poor planning on his part because their only current option was listening to Catherine prattle on about fuck knows. Instead of giving in to the agitation he caught Maka in the corner of his eye, fiddling with her hand in his as he couldn't help but rub a finger over the band around hers again. He caught the twitch at the corner of her lip, that subconscious acknowledgment that she was thinking the same thing: _We're getting married._

Now, the two of them had deliberated this until they were blue in the face, Soul opting for the cut and run while Maka wanted a calm sit down and the ultimate decision still hung in the air between them. There were only two days to come to some kind of certainty and Soul was sure that Catherine would find some way to try to destroy the moment. Soul had practiced plenty of biting lines but Maka had made him promise that none of them would come from his mouth. Instead, she was in charge of rebuttals even though the mere idea made his skin crawl.

In a blessed reprieve, Soul saw the SUV pull into the driveway. With a squeeze of apology, Soul dropped her hand and rushed for the door, grinning as he heard Catherine's voice dropping off with a huff. Suddenly Soul was five again, practically jogging through the hallway to the front door and erupting onto the landing before thudding down the stairs. Wes was quick out of the car, ready to meet Soul with open arms. "Congratulations, little brother," he made sure to murmur, his eyes scanning the door to see if he had to hold back his excitement.

"Still can't fucking believe it," Soul laughed before clapping Wes on the back.

"I'm not at all surprised." Wes was grinning ear to ear as he let Soul go, pushing him right into Lizzie's open arms.

"Congrats," Lizzie echoed. "And tell me you didn't leave our poor Maka in there all by herself."

"Sorta," Soul turned just in time to find Maka in the doorway. "Sorry, babe."

"Uh-huh," Maka gave him a sour smile. "I see who's more important."

"Hey," Soul grumbled but Maka was already hugging Lizzie tightly, their voice falling to sinister whispers that he knew were up to no good. He turned back to Wes, trying to not worry about the hum from the wives. "Everything quiet with you guys?"

"Currently just smooth sailing," Wes shrugged. "Lizzie has officially started at her father's company, which means we've started the house-hunt. Nothing to speak of yet." They started after Lizzie and Maka, climbing the stairs and back into the house to hear Catherine's voice already starting to Louis.

"You, uh, looking far?" Soul offered anxiously, feeling that childish urge to grab onto his brother. It came easier now, this idea that he could cling to Wes if necessary, but mostly Soul still tried to tramp it down.

Wes smiled softly, "A little further north. I believe the neighborhoods Lizzie's been looking at are on the way to Maka's parents."

Soul wasn't sure whether or not that was entirely comforting and let his teeth nibble the inside of his cheek as he let it settle. He didn't have much more than a second to his thoughts as Catherine started again from the top, giving Wes and Lizzie a recap of all that Maka and Soul had already had to sit through. While Wes and Soul had to feign attention, Lizzie had quickly thrown away the dutiful daughter-in-law act to sequester Maka in the corner of the room, whispers passing actively between the two of them.

"Have you been dress shopping at all?" Lizzie raised not so innocent eyebrows.

"No," Maka laughed. "We haven't even talked about what it'll be and don't you have to do that before you make decisions like that?" She made sure her voice was the lowest of whispers, trying not to let her eyes flick to Catherine because that would be a dead giveaway.

Lizzie leaned in, letting her lips barely eke out the words, "My bets are already on elopement."

"Lizzie," Maka tried to scold but it was useless as giggles left her lips. "We'll see. Right now the only plan we're making is how we're going to let the parents know."

"Oh, that's easy," Lizzie shook her head at Maka's foolishness. "Especially with this party at your disposal."

Maka narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"You announce it at the party," Lizzie grinned. "It's perfect. First, you'll actually be playing a very Evans family part, making a grand, formal announcement at a social event. Second, you'll be stealing Catherine's ability to throw a fit since she wouldn't dare. Third, it's perfect payback for New Year's last year and that foolish party she tried to throw to auction off your future husband."

She was blinking in Lizzie's face as she tried to process the danger in this plan. "Do you think that would actually work?"

Lizzie shrugged, "It's a suggestion, probably the most dramatic option but I think you deserve to have a victory, Maka. We both know you've been mistreated."

"It's been…" _Interesting, hard, trying, but how much is too much? _"Well, I'm sure Soul and I will talk about for at least an hour of bedtime tonight," Maka sighed.

"Ah, our little worry-wort," Lizzie chuckled as she threw her head over her shoulder to eye the man in question.

Soul noticed the eyes on him and raised his brows. Maka shook her head, only earning her more skepticism from him before he let his eyes drift back to his mother. "Every day I think he just gets worse."

"Imagine when he's a father," Lizzie had to check her laugh with a hand to her mouth. The motion already called too much attention, dissolving the little forcefield around the girls as Catherine turned her focus to Lizzie.

Maka was happy to still be ignored.

* * *

Even though he was sitting on the bed, Soul was rocking on his heels, trying to find a way to spend the nervous energy. When Maka returned in a towel, there was a very clear path he _should_ take but there was no way his mind would clear long enough.

Maka was obviously reading him like a book, tucking the knot of her towel tighter. "Am I getting dressed?" she smiled playfully.

"Don't hate me, but between being in my parents' house and the idea that we still haven't decided on the engagement announcement, I think I'm out of commission." He gave her a pathetic smile as he made a sweeping gesture towards his crotch, a rueful laugh following it.

She shook her head with a smile as she opted to lounge on the ridiculous chaise that ran parallel to the bed. "Well, let's talk _again_ and see what happens."

"_Again_," he huffed back. "Sitting and talking with her and dad is just setting us up to have an argument with the two of them and since I've been _ordered_ to be quiet, you're asking for me to have a stroke."

Maka could still laugh at the dramatics and while he was panicking in that under the surface way that she adored he was still examining her. She bent a knee and happily caught his eye that lingered over the line of the towel even with all his excuses. "Lizzie suggested something today."

"Lizzie?" Soul was fond of the way his sister-in-law refused to settle with his mother but the idea that any other scenario existed unsettled him.

"I don't know how I feel about it," Maka shrugged, "but I think it should be part of the conversation."

"OK," Soul answered weakly.

Maka tested a few facial expressions, wavering between a smile and a nervous bite to her lips. "We announce it at the party."

That hit Soul like a smack to the face, "Like without telling them first? Just announce to all of their friends?"

"Right," Maka gave one swift nod.

"Uh," that was elongated from his throat somewhere between wonder and a groan. Even though he was hoping it would buy him time to put together a concrete thought, nothing was actually coming to his mind.

A giggle tumbled from her lips and saved him, "I like the idea that there couldn't be an argument, not in front of that many people, but is it fair? Not that Catherine hasn't embarrassed either of us, but I'm not sure I want to play the game of revenge."

Soul blew a huff of air between his lips, "Well, it's kind of an all or nothing."

"What do you mean?" Maka tilted her head.

"She either finally accepts it or well…" He was surprised how much it made his chest ache for the words to sit on his tongue. "She lets me go." That didn't sound like the right words because they didn't match the pain.

"Soul…" Maka wasn't fooling around anymore as she dropped the playful leg and stood, walking over to him on the bed so she could touch his cheek. "It doesn't have to be that way."

He let out a long, low sigh as he took her hand from his cheek, clasping it to his and pressing it to his chest. "Maka, I kind of think it does." He tapped her hand against his sternum again as if he needed it to keep his heart going. "It's honestly not the first time I've thought about it but… all the energy I waste being angry with her for how she treats you, how she treats me, maybe we're just better off without it."

"So we do it at the party and then her reaction is the final decision?" Maka offered weakly.

"Ah," came out less thoughtful and more pained. "We announce it and then I talk to her by myself."

Her lips turned sour. "By yourself?"

"Yeah," Soul nodded weakly. "It started off just between her and me so maybe it should end that way."

Maka sighed as she unraveled their fingers. She moved to the other side of the bed, taking her nightgown out of her bag and throwing it over her head, following a little of his old behaviors, and tossing the towel absently at the end of the bed. "Come here," she murmured as she slid between the sheets.

It didn't take a second of thought for him to follow orders, falling into the bed next to her and curling up against her like he'd done a million times. He rested his head to her chest so she could let one hand drift through his hair while the other ran lines on his arm around her waist.

"That just seems too final," Maka murmured, "and I worry about how much it'll hurt you."

"Let me sleep on it," he sighed across her neck.

"Or not sleep," she scolded. "You're going to be up all night, aren't you?"

"Not if you keep that up," he nodded his head into her hand, forcing it deeper into his hair. She obliged, no longer being lazy with her touches.

The pinprick heat of tears threatened at her eyes, "Soul, I don't want you to-"

"Look," he cut her off quickly as his fingers tensed into her side. "I have Wes. I have Lizzie. I have you. And the more I think about the future, about having our own family, the more I worry about protecting all of it from my mom and dad and that… that's not how it should be, and I know that. If it can't change, if _they _won't, then I'm just dooming our kids to feeling the same way that I did, right?"

"Our kids?" Maka echoed.

"Shit," he grumbled as he raised his head to show a ring of panic around his red eyes. "I mean, I'm not saying we _have_ to have kids, but _if_ we did, _if_ you wanted to."

"If _we_ wanted to," Maka corrected as she furrowed her brow. "And, before we obviously get sidetracked, our so-far-imaginary kids would have us. But… I get it. I get you and the protective thing. So, in the short time you have, I guess, think about it but don't push yourself to do this, Soul. If we have to, we can even put off telling them until after the holidays."

"Nah, that was the whole point," he sighed. "We were supposed to tell all of them so that New Years was just unwinding. But how are we getting sidetracked?"

"You opened a can of worms, again, Soul Evans," Maka snorted a laugh. "Do you want kids?"

"Do _you_ want kids?" he shot back even though he knew he had very little hope of deflecting.

Maka allowed her mind to dissolve into giggles which burst from her chest, "If I answer that I feel like either way I'm getting baby-crazy Soul next. You obsessed over marriage and now you're going to wear me down to have a baby."

"No," Soul shook his head firmly. "No fucking way."

"Then you mentioned kids but don't want any?" Maka raised an eyebrow.

"_Oh fucking brother_," he muttered as he pressed his forehead back to her chest. Maka didn't help, once again dissolving into laughter. Soul waited in vain and finally had to butt into her snickering. "Yes, OK, I want maybe one or two but definitely down the fucking road. I'm nowhere near thinking about that because I'm not sure I act better than a toddler some days."

"Now if you wake up tomorrow and start picking out names…" Maka let a few more giggles sneak through.

"Divorce me," he snapped back.

"We have to get married first."

Soul could finally offer something close to a chuckle against her skin. "Fine, what's your answer?"

"Definitely a _later_ thing," Maka went back to smoothing his hair, her glee calming down for the moment. "But when I think about _you_ as a dad, I kind of have to say yes."

"Me?" he choked.

"Yeah," Maka cooed. "Lizzie mentioned it today and I can totally see it. You're going to be cute."

"You are," he sputtered back.

Maka hummed thoughtfully, "I don't know. Maybe I'll be one of those moms that rule with an iron fist."

The idea broke the rest of the tension in him and Soul found himself picking up where she left off, settling contented laughs onto her chest. "That's ridiculous."

"I can be strict!"

Soul spit out another laugh.

"You're asking for trouble, Soul," she threatened.

He popped his head up, seeing the smile still on her face as he predicted. There was no more ache in his chest, just one in his cheeks as he held up the smirk in reply. "You know how much I love you, right?"

"I think so," Maka happily chirped. "You feel at least a little better?"

"'Course." He leaned in and let his lips linger on hers. "There's nothing you can't fix."


	33. A Choice

Soul was completely lost in the brooding window stare while Maka dressed. She still wasn't entirely sure if it had been a good idea to give him that plan especially as the bags under his eyes were more than apparent in the morning light. _And I know he's giving himself just today to think and I still feel like… is he just hurting himself again?_

A knock at the door interrupted Maka's thought and she watched as it tore Soul from his pondering. He made sure to keep Maka out of view as he opened it, pleasantly surprised by Lizzie. "Listen, no time, if we leave now Catherine will be busy with the final preparations with the caterers and your father will still be golfing."

Soul managed a laugh, "Leave for what?"

Lizzie was rolling her wrist, motioning out the hurry that she wanted from him. "Brunch, where we can drink copious amounts of alcohol to prepare for another afternoon and evening of listening to your mother's expectations which we all know is as fun as a teeth-pulling."

"Lizzie, it's 9 AM," Soul smirked.

"Live a little," Lizzie winked before calling over Soul's shoulder, "Maka, darling, come on."

"Coming," Maka instantly cried back, leaving Soul with nothing to do but shrug.

As soon as Maka was ready, the four of them snuck out of the house like teenagers. Lizzie insisted that they take a car since booze was supposedly the main thing on the menu and off they went to town. Soul spent more of his time focused on the window but it was nice to have the addition of Maka's voice fluttering in the background and her fingers eagerly patting messages into his palm. Smiling didn't feel so impossible then.

"I got very little out of Maka yesterday, so should I dare ask you about the wedding plans, Soul?" Lizzie had thankfully waited until they were all with drinks in hand and past the obligatory cheers.

"Uh," Soul elongated the vowel as he risked a glance at Maka, finding an amused smile on her face. "All I'm thinking about is surviving to New Year's. Beyond that…" he shrugged to finish.

"Why do you and Maka enjoy torturing me?" Lizzie huffed as Wes wrapped an arm around her shoulder, directing a low laugh at her.

"Actually," Soul let a sly grin start on his lips, "Maka did make a few decisions."

Maka stopped moving her glass to her lips and raised her eyebrows. "I did?"

"A restaurant," he nudged her and a blush started on her cheeks. "Only a few people, no dancing."

"I think you might have made that up," Wes scoffed. "Sounds too much like your own dream come true."

Soul chuckled, "Yeah, when she let me off the hook for dancing I was pretty excited."

Maka elbowed him, attempting an annoyed glare his way. "That was just daydreaming, Soul Evans. Who knows what's going to happen."

"Well, Soul's made it very clear in the past that there's not to be anything traditional," Wes raised his eyebrows playfully as Soul flushed.

"Oh? And when was that?" Maka gave him another jab in the side and Soul choked on air.

"Who the hell remembers," Soul muttered as he eyed Wes, daring him to continue. Thankfully, he didn't, leaving Soul only at the mercy of Lizzie tossing out more ideas. He settled, letting Maka destroy most of the suggestions as they lazily made their way through food and drink. There was a pleasant fuzzy feeling in his lips by the time they were done and Maka actually slipped an arm around his waist as they left the restaurant, steadying him as they started down the streets.

"Let's drop the boys here," Lizzie pointed to a bench.

"Hm?" Maka looked from the bench to the storefront and her face turned a shade of cherry that Soul had never seen before. "Lizzie!"

"I know, I know, I'm worse than Catherine sometimes but humor me, please? Just _one._ Maybe _two._"

Soul followed Maka's attention, the title over the door making a glowing smirk rush across his lips. "Maka…"

"And you're sitting on the bench," she snapped at him as she deposited Soul in the seat before turning a threatening finger to Wes. "And if you let him move from this spot I will never forgive you." Soul whistled playfully at the threat, earning him one more glare from Maka. "Stay on this bench, Soul, I mean it."

"I'll try," Soul offered a weak shrug before melting into chuckles.

"Let's go!" Lizzie sang out as she grabbed Maka's hand and tugged her towards the door. There was one last meaningful scowl before the two disappeared into the store.

"Was this Lizzie's plan all along?" Soul turned to his brother, finding him covering his own amused laughter.

"Mostly," Wes shrugged. "She's incorrigible. Maka made the mistake yesterday of telling her she hadn't even _thought_ about dresses and well," he motioned towards the shop.

Soul let out a pleased hum of agreement, even if there was that antsy feeling starting in his gut. Peeking was out of the question, he knew that, but he was going to have to start weighing the punishment if he let his mind start to wander to fantasy. The mental pictures he could create might just be more torturous than anything she'd put him through for actually stealing a peek.

Wes cleared his throat, bringing Soul back to reality. "I know you're probably worried about this enough as it is, but when were you going to tell Mother and Father?"

He might as well have dumped a bag of ice down Soul's pants, everything in him clenching at the idea again. Soul was longing to go back to his happy illusion of Maka in white but there was no going back, watching as the concern started to cement on Wes's face. "About that…"

The pause was enough that Wes had to fill it with something. "Are you not telling them?"

Soul let out a sharp, pathetic attempt at a laugh. "No, I know it has to happen, but… well, we were going to announce it at the party."

"Oh," Wes warbled.

"But I guess that's not even the biggest part, Wes," Soul sucked in air as an old feeling visited him. _I'm going to lose my brother. It'll be me all alone again._ He could barely swallow that down before starting again, "Look, I think I'm going to only give Mom the chance to accept this one hundred percent, no in-between. If she can't… I think I'm done, Wes. I'm not going to see her again. And don't worry, I'm going to tell her that, get her in private after we do the announcement."

"That's big, Soul," Wes murmured.

"Yeah, and I know that puts you in a weird place," Soul took in another shaking breath. "I don't want you in the middle, you know? Things for you guys, birthdays, big life shit, you can invite both of us, me and Mom, but I'm just going to come as your brother, not as her son." The next exhale came out as a nervous, tight laugh. "But I guess that's me worrying about shit three steps ahead because… well, there's a chance, right? She could…" Turning his eyes to Wes was agonizing because he could read the unknown there.

"I can fully admit I'm never sure of the choices that Mother will make," Wes sighed. "What I will say is… don't make this a yelling match, and don't let her put in a word edgewise. Just let it out in one, calm stream and offer to give her time to think about it. Encourage her not to make a split-second decision."

"You think I can do that?" Soul let another weak laugh leave his lips.

"Little brother, there's not much you can't do," Wes nudged him.

"Thanks," Soul eased out a sigh as he tipped his head back against the bench. "I mean it, though, Wes: I don't want you in the middle. If it gets to be too much-"

"Don't do that," Wes slung an arm around his shoulder. "While I'd rather not think about it unless it _has_ to happen if there's a choice to make you should know that I value our relationship more than I can put into words."

"You mean that?" Soul barely choked out.

"Always have, little brother."

Soul had to focus on his hands wringing in his lap to keep from giving in to the burning in his eyes. He let Wes squeeze his shoulders one more time before he got the strength to croak, "So tomorrow at the party… I'll make some stupid grand announcement and then I'll grab Mom."

"No Maka?" Wes offered.

"No," Soul stood firmly even if everything else felt like it was crumbling.

"Then Lizzie will wait with her."

Soul wasn't sure he wanted the answer but he swallowed through the fear. "And you?"

Wes removed his hand from Soul's shoulder, ruffling his hair before bringing his hand back to his lap. "I'll be waiting for you and Mother to finish. I'd like to make sure she'll wait and think about it if you'll let me."

"Sure," Soul sighed out a relieved breath. "You know, I was fucking _terrified_ to ask Maka, but I'm starting to feel like doing that was actually the easiest part of the damn engagement."

Wes raised his eyebrows playfully. "Wait until you actually get married."

That allowed for a few real chuckles until the door clapped open, stealing the air from Soul's mouth. Lizzie was leaning out, a devious smile on her face. "She said if you were still being good, right where she left you, you could come in and see just this one. It's definitely not _the one_ but, and I quote, '_He's probably out there complaining about the Geneva Convention.'_"

With more breathless laughter, Soul raised his eyebrows, "You mean I'm allowed?"

"For one, a definite no," Lizzie nodded quickly as she opened the door the rest of the way and motioned him in.

It felt like a trap but Soul didn't even consider it, scrambling to his feet before squeezing past Lizzie in the doorway. The shop wasn't exactly spacious so his eyes had almost nowhere else to go except for the small platform that Maka was standing on, mirrors surrounding her and making his eyes unsure of which visage he wanted to focus on. "Isn't it ridiculous?" Maka let out a sharp laugh as she puffed out a skirt that was more of an avalanche of white fluff from her waist.

"No," but Soul was still laughing at the absurdity. He was fairly sure the fabric in that skirt weighed more than her but even with that, he couldn't help that smidge of something welling up in his heart.

"What, this is what you're expecting?" She turned from the mirrors to him, her hands on her hips and a smirk threatening to destroy the irritation she was trying to exude.

"Nah," he shook his head sharply as he was finally able to grab her hands in his. "Just you lookin' pretty is never ridiculous."

Maka snorted a laugh, "As a powder puff?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Hey, Maka…"

Her smile was all amusement now and she was curling an eyebrow up at him. "Yes, Soul?"

A delirious little laugh left his throat as he squeezed her hands. "Marry me, will you?"

"You already have your answer to that." She wanted to pretend that didn't thrill her, and she tried desperately to hold onto the quizzical look on her face but it was threatening to burst. "In this dress?"

"Definitely _not_," he laughed. One of his hands crept up her arm, pulling her and Maka gave in. She tipped close enough that he could snag a taste of her lips. "Which one's next?"

"_None_," Maka snapped quickly.

"Cruel," Soul grumbled as he stole one last kiss. "Means I'm just going to have to bribe Lizzie for information."

Maka rolled her eyes as she stepped down off the podium, having to gather arm-fulls of plumed material to keep from tripping. She started moving to the dressing room, assuming she was leaving him behind until his hand closed around her bicep as she was just about to turn the corner. "Soul," she chided but when her eyes hit his all of the teasing fell away.

"It's all or nothing tomorrow," he murmured to her as a trembling sigh left his lips.

She wished there weren't miles of fabric between them and all she could settle on was a hand over his. While she wanted to question, to push, she tried to channel him, to remember his surety. "I'll make it all worth it, Soul. I swear."

* * *

Maka had watched Soul fix his tie about fifteen times and when his hand raised again she grabbed it, pulling it back to his side where their fingers intertwined. "They're passing out the goddamn champagne," he muttered.

"And then?" Maka whispered back as she leaned closer, letting her lips caress his cheek.

He squeezed their joined hands. "Dad gives the traditional toast, then I jump up there like a madman."

Maka managed to snort a laugh, "Not _mad_."

"Nah, just in love," he managed a smile at her. "You still in for this wild ride?"

"For the rest of my life," she grinned.

"Music to my fucking ears," he murmured as he turned his head close enough to knock his forehead against hers. While Soul wished he could stay just that close he quickly detached from her, even dropping Maka's hand as the familiar clink of glasses started. It was all pomp as his parents moved to the raised floor where the piano stood, flooding his mind with each year's memory. The dress changed but not much of anything else until he reached last year, the night he was miles and miles away, finally broken free because he'd fallen in love with Maka. Soul risked one more glance at her before his father's voice started.

If he hadn't torn his eyes away maybe he would have seen it, the way Maka was lost in her own memories, bringing forth the same moment he had and finding her own break from tradition. _The more I think about it, the more I'm sure it was that night that I realized it, the moment when he brought me home, and even in the loneliness of it all he refused to leave me._ She was staring at his face and while there wasn't a scar from the split lip or any way to know how blackened that eye had been, his love was still very obviously left over. _And I'm about to see him fight for it again._

As the obligatory applause filled the room, Soul started the walk, his champagne glass clenched tightly in his fingers. This was it, the wheels in motion with no way to derail them, evident by the fleeting moment of concern he saw on his mother's face as he made the final step. He was right next to her now, his eyes steady on hers as he clinked his glass until the room had died down. "I'm sure I don't have to introduce myself," Soul let a heavy, produced smile break his face as he turned his eyes to the crowd. "And while I'm sure you're more than ready to return to the fun after dad's toast I have just one more."

Catherine's hand flexed into his bicep but Soul didn't skip a beat. "This year's been exciting for the Evans family. This time last year we were announcing Wes and Lizzie's engagement and in a whirlwind, they were married by the summer. And while I love my brother dearly, it always seems like I'm resigned to walk in his footsteps, but let's just say that's because Wes always was the smart one." Soul gave an amiable shrug that allowed for a trickle of laughter from the crowd. "That's why a few weeks ago, I asked Maka Albarn," he waved a hand out into the crowd to her and Maka took the cue, stepping forward to join him, "if she wouldn't mind being my wife, and, well, I can't say we'll be married by this summer, but she said yes."

It felt vapid to raise her hand, displaying that timeless sign, so instead, Maka turned to him, resting the gemmed hand on his chest as she planted a kiss on his cheek. That was enough to call forth another round of applause and at least a whistle coming from Wes's direction. "I love you," Maka made sure to insert over the sound of the crowd.

"Wait for me," he tried to punctuate that with a smile and held on to it until he met his mother's smoldering eyes. "Come with me, Mom." Soul clamped a hand over Catherine's and started the walk off the podium. It wasn't to the hallway where they'd had their last fight but to the study. It felt fitting for the first place he had the guts to say he loved Maka to her face would be the place he'd finally put his foot down. He wasn't surprised by the anger that was radiating off her but by the silence, and it seemed as if Catherine held her breath until the door was shut behind them.

"Soul-" She started sharply but Soul tried to remember Wes's faith in him.

"Mom, just sit with me, alright?" He offered quietly as he took a seat in one of the leather chairs.

Catherine's eyes darted between him and the other chair before sitting with her hands clenched tightly in her lap. "What you did tonight-"

"Wasn't totally fair, Mom. I know. I'm sorry." For a fleeting second, he wondered if he'd ever said that to her and meant it since his childhood. The genuine delivery, since he did in some way mean it, seemed to destroy the next set of words on her tongue, leaving him with his opening. "But I didn't lie or anything. I asked Maka to marry me, she said yes, and sooner or later it's going to happen which means I can't put off this talk with you anymore. I've dealt with you and me fighting for years. I'm not going to say it's _all_ your fault, since I'm not exactly the best son at times, I know, but I feel like a lot of it's been you wanting a life for me that I haven't ever been interested in."

Soul ran a quick hand through his hair, a little bewildered by the fact she allowed for any break in his flow. "And I know it's you wanting the best for me, but I don't think we actually agree on the definition of best. What's worse, is that's become way too obvious since Maka came along. You never even gave her a chance just because of pedigree and you have to realize how much that hurt her and hurt _me_. One year of this kind of behavior has been enough to show me that I can't and won't put her through this for the rest of her life. Which means," he sucked in a trembling breath. "You have a decision to make."

He reached across the divide, taking her hands in his. "You have a choice, Mom, and I'm only offering you this because you are my mom and I _do_ love you. You need to get on board with this marriage, accept Maka for who she is, and at least make an attempt at getting to know her, or I'm…" he choked and powerlessly squeezed at her hands. "I'm done, Mom," his voice cracked as the threat of tears started to close his throat. "That'll mean," he strained, "that I won't come back. And I know this is a lot that I'm putting on you tonight so I'm hoping that if I give you a little time…"

"Please," came stiffly and very un-Catherine-like from her lips.

Soul risked raising his eyes to hers, finding a tight face and narrowed eyes with no describable message. "Yeah, Mom, of course. You… take the time you need to think about it." He stood and gambled with pulling her to her feet. Catherine seemed all too pliable though and he let his voice fall into a soothing whisper. "Maka and I are going to get going then. I… I love you." He wondered again how many times he might have said that to her and if the words even mattered. _After all, aren't I just incapable of it?_ Instead, he swallowed it down and wrapped his arms around her. "Good bye, Mom."


	34. No Missed Calls

This fills me with such melancholy. Sorry, readers.

* * *

The drive to Spirit's had been white-knuckled by Soul, who had refrained from starting any discussion, and while Maka made a few attempts none successfully launched. Thankfully their late-night, or technically early morning arrival meant that Spirit greeted them in pajamas and just shuffled them to the upstairs room. Maka had already had the argument with him weeks prior that she and Soul would be staying together in the same room and she was thankful that all involved seemed too tired to revisit it.

Maka was dead to the world as soon as her head hit the pillow but Soul was never going to be able to turn off his thoughts. He still tried laying next to her, memorizing different aspects of the room that apparently had been hers since childhood. It became a game to look at an item and create a Maka-story for it as if everything in the room in some way embodied her. That lasted him for an hour or two but even with all the fictitious yet at least still positive stories he was unraveling he was nowhere closer to sleep. At about 3 AM his screen lit up, a silent call from Wes blinking across the screen.

He grabbed the phone and started a swift but quiet exit from the room. He was careful to shut the door gently and try not to pound down the stairs. As he reached the bottom he accepted the call. "Give me a second, Wes," he whispered.

"I wasn't even thinking you were going to be awake." Wes offered a sharp laugh, "Who am I kidding? You haven't slept at all, have you?"

Soul unlocked the front door and walked out onto the deck, hunkering down on the stairs before inhaling slowly, "Can't. Won't. Tomorrow, or really today is going to be a fucking shitshow, I just know it."

"That's just a self-fulfilling prophecy, Soul," Wes reminded with a rhythmic trill.

"Alright," he sighed. "I hope it's not a shitshow. I hope her parents act like real fucking people, whatever that means. I just… damn it, Wes, did I do the right thing?"

Wes laughed softly, "Of course you did, little brother. And that's the reason why I called in the first place. You two kind of ran out on the party before I could tell you that I'm proud of you."

"Fuck," Soul croaked as his throat turned to gravel. The heat hit his eyes and he reflexively pressed his fingers to the sockets, trying to negate the tears.

"You did an amazing thing, Soul," Wes's voice was pressing through the phone, destroying any last chance Soul had of not crying. "And you shouldn't doubt yourself just because you can't control the outcome. Your decision was right for you, for Maka, but what Mother decides is her choice."

Soul trembled through choking down a sob before making a sad attempt at clearing his throat. "You think she's going to…?" he let that warbled off into a miserable sigh.

"Well," Wes's sigh was refreshingly not desperate, "she was very shaken when you left. Still obviously stayed in hostess mode but, to be honest, she was not deflecting when it came to congratulations on your news."

He sucked in a few more breaths before daring another sentence, "I guess it's too much to ask that she'd be happy."

"Unfortunately, both of us know that's asking for too much."

Soul kicked his heel at the edge of the step as if the answer was there, giving his stomach time to roll over on itself. "The truth is, and fuck does this just feel crazy and wrong, I don't think I want to lose her."

"Not crazy," Wes quickly reassured. "But, as I said, you shook her. Give her time."

"Time," Soul echoed with a sigh.

"Try to let it go for right now, little brother. I know that sounds impossible, but try."

Soul hesitated, scraping his toe against the edge of the stair and concentrating on that raw feeling instead of the one in his heart. "I love you, Wes."

"I love you, too, Soul," Wes's came with nothing but warmth and Soul could feel the burn of tears again. "I'm going to go. Feel free to call me."

"I will." Soul's voice felt small and far away and he brought the phone from his ear and hung up. The phone clattered to the step next to him but none of that was at the forefront of his mind. Instead, he pressed his elbows into his knees and the heels of his palms to his eyes, trying to will himself back to something that was close to normal if there ever was that for him.

Even though he heard the door he didn't move, he didn't dare unplug the leak yet. He expected a soft hand in his hair or maybe a delicate press of lips to his temple but all he heard was a clink and then someone settling down next to him. Soul finally brought his hands away and the widening of his eyes pressed back any last threat of tears. "Coffee," Spirit motioned towards the cup that had produced the sound that now sat between them, a second cradled in Spirit's hands.

"Thanks," Soul whispered bewilderedly. He examined the cup for another second before picking it up, copying Spirit in holding it to suck out the warmth between his fingers. "Uh, sorry if I woke you."

"Technically thought I was catching you doing something you weren't supposed to be doing," Spirit smiled sourly. "Thought you might be calling another girl."

Soul's forehead wrinkled and it took everything he had not to snarl. "Sorry, just late-night talk with my brother, Wes."

Spirit shrugged as if that answer was still negotiable before pausing to take a sip of his coffee, wincing at the battery acid quality. "Something up?"

He was disarmed by Spirit's casual air after such a flagrant accusation. "Just family bullshit," Soul barely managed to mutter out.

"Your parents?" Spirit kept wheedling. "Maybe your mom, you used '_she'_ a lot."

"Did you listen to the whole damn conversation?" Soul snapped.

Another roll of Spirit's shoulders and Soul was on the verge of boiling until the most nonchalant of questions graced Spirit's lips, "Your parents are pissed about the engagement?"

"The what?" Soul croaked back, all the air sucked from his lungs.

"Maka doesn't wear jewelry," Spirit sighed. "Never has. Only started wearing earrings when you gave her that pair last year. Showed up tonight with a ring on her finger that matched. She wouldn't wear it unless you gave it to her. I assume you gave it to her for a reason that's not just to have another sparkly thing to wear. You may not believe it, but I know my daughter. Now I'm just trying to figure out my soon-to-be son-in-law."

A shuddering sound of confusion and misery left his lips. _Should I be happy? I mean, it's not like I told him so Maka can't be mad about that and… just what the fuck do I do now? _Against his better judgment, Soul felt his raw, injured heart pushing forth the spite. "Thought you had me all figured out."

"OK, maybe I deserve that," Spirit nodded slowly before sipping at his coffee again. "Also, guess this is a free opportunity to say '_you never even took any chances to get to know me.'_"

"You barely have the time to be with your daughter," Soul forced that into a grumble and then pressed the cup to his lip, trying to stop the stream.

"Alright, you're really digging in, huh?" Spirit's chuckle sounded more forlorn than anything else. "Want to make a comment about my failed marriage, too?"

Soul sucked his teeth before forcing another sip.

"Thanks for not taking that shot," he sighed. "Rin'll take it when she gets here anyway. How'd meeting her go?"

He couldn't help but eye Spirit skeptically as he took another sip. "Fine, I guess. I don't think she has a great opinion of me either."

"Did you get the shit kicked out of you in an alley for her, too?" Spirit raised his eyebrows.

Soul let out a dry laugh, "No. You ever going to let me live that down?"

"It'll be a story for the grandkids, that's for sure," Spirit grinned grimly.

He snorted out another barely-there laugh, "And if you're going to ask, she's not pregnant. I asked her to marry me just because. No shotgun necessary."

"I guess that's good to hear," Spirit sighed. His fingers tapped to the porcelain of the mug as he leaned against one of the posts of the deck. Strangely the silence fit instead of driving them to internal smoldering and both of them fell into a pattern of sips and breathing. "So, how do I act like a '_real fucking person'_?"

Soul rolled his shoulders, "Maybe ask Maka that question. The shit with my mom…" For a second he trapped it tight behind his lips, sure there was no purpose in letting it back out in the world other than to scrape another layer of hurt across his heart. Instead, he thought about Maka, that need to protect her loosening his tongue, "That's my problem because she's my mom. Your reactions will matter more to her than they ever will to me. She loves both of you, wants both of you in her life even if I don't necessarily get that, so I hope you both treat her like you deserve it."

Spirit made a non-committal noise before letting the conversation drift into another long silence filled only with sips. He was almost down to the dregs of his coffee before he sighed, "I guess if you can promise me that you keep taking care of her the way you have been, I'm going to put in an effort not to be a total asshole to you."

Soul nodded slowly, "Deal."

One accusatory finger shook between them. "But the second you fuck up with her-"

"I wouldn't expect any less," Soul managed a chuckle. He chewed on the words as he rolled the coffee around the interior of the cup, watching it ripple. "I'll do the same if you can promise to see her a little more."

Spirit had to clear his throat to press out a sigh. "Yeah, sure. If she wants."

"She does." Soul hated to admit it especially as the grin started to develop on Spirit's lips.

This break was quickly interrupted not by either of them but by the door, a completely bewildered Maka hesitating in the doorway. "What are you two doing?"

"Drinking coffee," Soul offered along with a hand.

Maka took it as her eyebrows furrowed, letting him pull her out of the doorway to the steps between them. "Papa?" she asked after she settled, seating shoulder to shoulder with them.

"What, you don't trust your fiance to answer a question?" Spirit laughed.

"My _what_?" Maka turned to Soul, nudging him in the side.

"Don't get at him." Spirit took her hand, his fingers instantly toying with her ring. "Just followed the clues."

"Oh," Maka let quiver off her lips as she stared at the ring.

"You happy?" Spirit offered quickly at the tail-end of her breath.

Maka blinked before narrowing then relaxing her eyes at her father, revolving around the suspicion. "Yes, Papa, I am."

"Then fine." Spirit shrugged before glancing past Maka and jutting his chin at Soul, "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks," Soul added almost obligatorily.

"What…" Maka gaped between the two of them, her eyes studying both of their faces as each man seemed to concentrate on their coffee cup as if their lives depended on it. "Did you two… bond?"

"No," Spirit scoffed.

"Fuck that," Soul snorted.

"OK…" She continued the alternating glances, waiting for either of them to crack and finding both impossibly blank. "I'm… am I dreaming?" she muttered as she let her free hand touch to her forehead.

Soul grabbed it, lacing his fingers with hers. "No, your dad's just a real fucking person."

* * *

Maka was struggling to define them. Spirit and Soul were _not_ a united front. Definitely _not_ friends. But since she had found them in those early morning hours sitting together on the porch, neither of them were at each other's throats, even with the engagement out in the open. She'd expected some yelling, some backhanded complaining, but neither had snapped in any way, shape, or form. Both were a little more quiet than usual, which left her with goosebumps every now and then, but wasn't that a superior alternative to yelling? The thing she dreaded was the complication of her mother, and she only had until the afternoon to bask in the strange serenity.

She mostly wanted to blame Soul's reaction on his own mother, his mutism just an extension of that internal worry which was clearly manifested by Soul wasting most of his battery life on simply checking his phone screen for missed calls. But a few texts to Wes and her reassuring hand in his had placated a majority of that by mid-morning. Obviously he was still awaiting an answer, but it didn't entirely seem like agony. So Maka sat in the odd glow of her father and future husband _not_ fighting.

Then who would have expected Spirit to assert that he was picking up his ex-wife from the airport, something that normal Spirit would have claimed a taxi could adequately do? Certainly not Maka and as Spirit grabbed his keys to leave the two of them in the house entirely alone and unsupervised for at least thirty minutes, she had no alternative than to pinch her arm and watched dumbfounded as he left. How could that moment get even stranger? As soon as the door clicked shut, Soul drifted his head down to her shoulder and sighed, "Hey, hold me."

That was not a normal order, but there was nothing Maka wanted to do more in this world especially as another sad, quivering breath passed his lips. "This is different," she murmured tentatively as she started reordering on the couch. He was pliable, letting her move one leg and arm behind him on the couch, pulling him to lay against her middle. One hand was rubbing against his chest while the other smoothed his hair out of the way so she could plant soft kisses on his forehead.

"Just give me a minute," his voice was hoarse and warbling as he pressed his face into her chest.

She couldn't sound anything other than heartbroken as she feared he'd crumble in her arms. "Take all the minutes you need."

Maybe he was falling apart. His breath stuttered and started, his lips moving against her skin but not in that sultry way she was used to but in some kind of wordless agony. Maka tried to let her hands speak for her, rolling over every inch in an attempt to spell out each ounce of the love she wanted to give to him. It took ages, fingers working through his hair and over his back without much of anything from him. "Tell me you're happy," he finally let out weakly against her neck.

"I'm not happy you're hurting," she sighed.

"But with me," he urged back.

"Always with you."

That seemed to placate him enough that the death-grip he'd been pressing into the sides of her shirt started to relax. "Alright," he muttered as he tried to pull away.

Maka did nothing but tighten her grip. "I don't think I'm done."

Soul offered a weak laugh, "I'm OK, Maka."

"Like hell you are," she murmured back as she pressed another firm kiss to his forehead that was simply another order for him to stay put.

His laugh strengthened just a smidge, "How long?"

"Until I hear Spirit's car in the driveway," Maka snapped back almost instantly, earning another chuckle from him. As he relaxed back into her, Maka gave up on her crushing hold and moved her fingers back to dedicated consoling. "I'm proud of you," she whispered sweetly against his hairline.

Soul snorted derisively, "Proud of what?"

She took a moment to sigh at his disbelief, reining in the need to shake him. "Have you noticed that you're not exploding right now?"

"Feel like it," he grumbled.

"But," Maka instantly jumped on his negativity, hoping against hope to tramp it down. "Normally I get quiet, quiet, _more_ quiet, and then _boom_! And while I'm probably sure your brain still hasn't settled yet, you asked for me before we got to the wild gesticulating and yelling."

"_Wild gesticulating_," he snorted. "Your fucking vocabulary."

"And you're still able to joke," she practically sang out sweetly. "This is big, this is _huge_, and even with all the feelings I want you to take a minute to see it."

"I'm still… a fucking mess," he sighed hopelessly against her chest.

"A fucking mess that keeps proving me right." Maka's hand slipped to the back of his neck, tugging his hair just enough to encourage him out of hiding. Those beautiful ruby eyes batted at her, a hint of confusion starting a frown on his lips. "I told you at the shower, effort. You're trying, and I appreciate it. You're going to hurt, OK? That's _normal_ and what I want more than anything is to take care of those hurts as they happen, rather than after you let them ruminate for a year or two."

"What about a few months?" he offered with one of those annoying smirks that she wanted to wipe right off his face. She attempted it with a swift kiss but that only seemed to intensify the curve.

Maka gave a little tug to the hairs at the back of his neck, just enough for him to grunt half out of amusement and the rest out of the minute tingle of pain. "I don't know, you're setting a dangerous precedent by only taking a day this time."

Soul narrowed his eyes at her, "So what's my reward?"

Her eyebrows shot up before she let a laugh escape her throat. "Your reward?"

"Yeah," his smirk was insufferably strengthening. "Do a good job, get a reward, right?"

Maka hummed out thoughtfully, "A kiss."

Soul snorted incredulously, "A kiss?"

"What, my kisses aren't good enough?" She curled an eyebrow playfully at him.

"Oh, I'm in fucking trouble," he muttered mostly to himself as he tried to press his head back to his hiding place. Maka still had him by the hair though and instead of getting away he just pulled at his roots, leaving him wincing. "Fine, a kiss."

Maka relaxed her grip and pressed a firm hand to his chest. "I'll give it to you later."

"Later?" he balked but the fight fizzled instantly as the commotion in the driveway sprung Maka to her feet. "How the _fuck_ are they back already?" Soul grumbled.

Maka giggled as she walked across the living room. "Admit it, Soul, we cuddled for pretty much half an hour."

"Cuddled," Soul scoffed.

"Not only are you a romantic but a softy now, too," she threw over her shoulder as she disappeared into the hallway.

_Is softy an improvement?_ he grumbled mentally as he waited for the excitement that was bound to erupt from the hallway. It did, on cue, as he assumed Rin and Maka met each other in the doorway. He wasn't about to get up, not necessarily ready to leave the safety bubble that he imagined around the couch. This was the place that Spirit wasn't a dick, Maka was still holding onto him in his head, and Rin was absent. It was a dream that he knew was about to come to ruin, so he clutched to the last bit of it until Rin rounded the corner.

They arranged themselves awkwardly, Rin refusing to sit in the right place across from them with Spirit and insisted on sandwiching Maka between herself and Soul. He was quick to clear his throat and move in something he had hoped was a positive direction. "How's the relocation plans?"

"You're moving? That's the first I'm hearing of it," Spirit snapped.

"Because there's no reason to tell you anything about _my _life," Rin offered back quickly with a strange sing-songy sweetness before turning her attention back to Soul. "The firm has finally settled on a location so I'll start the apartment hunt soon."

Soul eased into the obligation to converse, only warmed by the fact that Maka took his hand in hers, squeezing out the approval. "Not getting a house?"

"No point." Rin sighed wistfully, "Maka's grown, so there's no need for me to keep extra space open."

Spirit waved exasperatedly towards Maka and Soul on the couch. "Might be nice to have if the kids want to come to visit."

"Well, Soul never hesitates at throwing around his money, so they'd probably rather go with a hotel."

"Mama," Maka chided.

"Having money is a bad thing?" Spirit whistled. "Remind me, Rin, what _do_ you like? What's good enough for you?"

"Papa!" She was attempting yet again to be the parent in the room, hating the tone that was forced between them and the one from her own mouth. For a panicked moment, Maka was sure that this was the entirety of what they were capable of, just an endless revolution of spats.

"Hey," the word snapped from Soul's mouth firmly but no louder than his usual talking voice, zapping Maka back from her worry and forcing her parents' mouths shut for a moment. "We're here for a nice visit, so let's keep it that way."

Rin looked like she was about to parry but Spirit butted in, "Why don't you do your thing?"

"What thing?" Rin had no hopes in punishing Soul for his outburst, instead too confused at the development in her ex-husband.

Maka took her mother's hand, clutching it tightly. "Mama…" There was enough of a pause that Soul felt his stomach drop, but, as if she sensed it, Maka gave his fingers a light squeeze. "I'm glad you'll be so close because there's a lot of planning to do." He was relieved to see a blush climbing up her cheeks. "Soul and I are engaged, so…" she let that trail off with a sweet shrug before tossing a look over her shoulder at him.

"Engaged?" Rin echoed as her eyebrows attempted to hit her hairline.

"It was so sweet, Mama, the way he asked," she was gushing and it was his turn to let a little color grace his face. Even worse, she had taken back her hand, splaying out her fingers to show off the ring while she performed every last one of his lines down to the letter like she'd memorized the entire moment since she most definitely had.

Soul risked a glance at Spirit, catching him happily following Maka's beaming. Even Rin was starting to warm, at least smiling as Maka recounted every last detail. _They're happy enough just because she is. _That hit him like an arrow to the heart and he couldn't stop himself from compulsively slipping his hand into his pocket, angling the phone just enough so he could see the disappointing no missed calls.


	35. Standing Up

Time crawled.

To make matters worse the engagement had somehow made a bubbly buffer between Spirit and Rin, keeping one from thorning in the other's side. Maka knew she should count her blessings, rejoice in the idea that for once she was not at all a mediator, but there was still Soul. His sleep hadn't gotten better after the first night and she had found him very much the same way the next morning, her father somehow included again. With a terrifying kind of joy she realized another tiny smidge of bonding must have happened because her father had dropped the '_kid'_ and '_boy' _moniker for Soul. _Small steps,_ Maka begged out into the universe.

That's why she had thought it would be no big deal to leave the two of them together in order to let her mother mimic Lizzie in that almost automatic desire to try on dresses. It had been normal, fine, ho-hum until stripping out of dress number four brought with it a steady buzz from her purse. She looked at the screen, saw _Papa_, and let the first ounce of panic rush into her veins. "Hello?"

"You better come home," Spirit sighed.

Maka let a weak groan break her lips. "Why? What _happened_?" came after she barely squashed a '_what did you do?' _in her mind.

"His phone started buzzing. He went upstairs. It's been a half-hour and still not any movement."

"Did you hear him talking?" Maka could guarantee her father was nosey enough and could probably recite the whole conversation if there had been one. In the meantime, she was struggling to get her pants back on one-handed.

"Nope," Spirit popped the word off his lips.

"Well, maybe…" Maka started but cut it with a roll of her eyes. "We'll come back now. Thank you for calling."

"What's the problem?" Spirit snuck in quickly before he knew the line was about to go.

Maka froze, her lips working over the question for a second. "He gave his mother an ultimatum, Papa. She accepts me or he has absolutely nothing to do with her."

"Huh," there was a genuine twinkle of interest there. "Give up all that money for you?"

"Papa," Maka hissed.

Spirit chuckled, "Sorry. See ya soon."

The line beeped and Maka dropped her phone back into her bag. It was a few frantic twists to get back into her shirt and then her shoes. She was still toying with her heel in one of her sneakers when she rounded the corner out of the dressing room. "Mama, time to go."

"Darling, why?" Rin moaned out. "The boys are _fine_ by themselves. Honestly, if you can't trust the man alone with your father for a few hours then-"

"It's an emergency," Maka snapped quickly. "Papa called."

Rin checked her phone as she stood to follow after Maka who was kicked up dust across the showroom floor. "He didn't call me."

_Because would you answer?_ Maka squashed that first thought with a sigh. "Because it's a Soul problem, Mama. Dress shopping can definitely wait."

"_A Soul problem_?" It almost sounded sing-songy, playful as Rin caught up a few steps to rush besides her daughter. "Does he have a lot of those?"

"He has them just as often as I have a _Maka problem_," she chimed back. Her fingernails were pressing little crescents into her palms and the tension was leaving her fingers tingling.

"That doesn't seem like you." Again, the comment was supposed to sound innocuous but Maka knew the tone. "You know when couples get like that, feed off each other-"

"Mama." Even in all the rush, Maka dug her heels in, watching as her mother pivoted in surprise to face her. The moment came rushing back to her, the tension of another year of waiting for a phone call, the negotiating to get the time that she not only wanted but deserved. She always had to buy time. "I don't think you know me." And for the first time, even though it was just in her head, Maka admitted it: _Especially since the Maka problem is usually because of you._

* * *

Air was a luxury. What Soul could get was thin and useless against the thundering of his heart. _This is what dying feels like. The walls are coming from every angle and I'm going to be crushed until my fucking heart explodes._ Worst yet, it was fixable. All of it was. Finality was in his grasp but everything was frozen.

There was the buzz. Her name on the screen. He'd come up here for quiet and Spirit let him go since all they had been doing _together_ was staring at the same TV screen. It had still been vibrating when he closed the door behind him, but all he did was watch it go. Watch the screen blink out. Feel the secondary pulse a few minutes later of a voicemail. He didn't have the guts to check that it was from her but realistically, what was the other option?

But it was that damn thought experiment of Schrödinger's cat. It's not like he had taken quantum mechanics but for some reason, Kilik had gotten obsessed with it for a while and now the actual parallel to real-life was easy to see. At this moment, his mother was both alive and dead to him, that voicemail leaving her in a perpetual state of both. If he didn't listen he didn't lose her, but at the same time didn't have her either. The cat's alive and dead. But just knowing that the voicemail exists means that it's one or the other. _Where's the line? Where's the limit? And why can't I goddamn do anything other than stare at this phone and gasp for air?_ His mind kept irrationally circling that drain.

In a last-ditch effort, Soul tried to press his forehead against the window, hoping that the glass would offer some kind of cool relief but all it succeeded in doing was sending a chill down his spine. At the very least it was a shock but soon followed by just the same immobility, his legs starting to feel stiff from the desperately tightened muscles.

Reprieve barely came when her warm arms wrapped around his waist, her delicate fingers climbing up to his chest. "Breath, Soul. I think you might be turning a little blue." He groaned but there still wasn't much to refill his lungs with and his knees started to buckle from the tension. Maka guided him down, having to pull him back so his back rested on her chest. Her legs were folded underneath her, a recipe for disaster as the pins and needles would start any second but there was not even a second's concern for that. "Hey, Soul, come on."

With another small intake of air, he lit up his phone screen again, angling it for her to see.

"Oh," Maka let the heartache warble through her voice. "Do you want me to listen to it?"

"I want," his voice cracked and broke away as he shook his head.

Maka sighed as her hands traveled over his chest, finding tried and true places to caress, to rub, to bring warmth. She waited and prayed this was all just enough to resuscitate him. It took time but his breathing came back, his fingers relaxing from the phone and letting it drop to the floor instead of his death grip. He turned in her arms, letting her get her legs into a position that wasn't pinching her nerve. Those ruby eyes were telling her every last thing as he stared at her face. "I wish she'd give you the kind of love you deserve, Soul," Maka murmured as she cleared the hair from his face.

"I don't know," he muttered. "Maybe she's trying to and I'm just too chicken-shit to listen."

"Schrödinger's cat."

Soul sucked in enough air to snort out a laugh. "How do you know about that?"

"It's a famous thought experiment. _Everybody_ knows it." The roll to her eyes was refreshing, at least not a moment of pity or pain.

He was able to return the favor, letting his fingers press a curl of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry if I ruined your shopping."

"I'm not," Maka shook her head firmly as she let her mind reminisce over the tightness in her mother's face after her comment. That had kept its strength through the entire ride home but Maka wasn't necessarily sure she even gave a damn. "And, honestly, I know you love me in a nice dress, Soul, but I'm not sure. All of them make me look like a cupcake."

"Not going to the right places." Soul trailed a finger from her ear down her jaw. "Maybe something vintage."

Maka hummed out thoughtfully. "How did you know you _ruined_ shopping?"

"Spirit yelled at me through the door," Soul snorted out a laugh. "Called me a drama queen."

She rolled her eyes, "Sometimes, that man-"

"No big deal," he caressed her cheek again. "Maybe I deserved it a little."

"No," Maka pressed, "but you do have to listen to the message, Soul."

"I know," he sighed. "It's probably going to be…" Leaving that unfinished, he lifted the phone and clicked on the voicemail icon. His finger hovered over the next click, the play button antagonizing him. Maka pressed his finger down.

Catherine's voice was not the same. There weren't any hard-pressed orders there, just a soft, tired hum. "_I know you're busy, Soul, but please call me when you have a moment."_

"Not an actual decision," Soul sighed out.

"I think if she was going to say no, wouldn't it have been easy enough to just do it then?" Maka offered softly as she ran her fingers through his hair again.

His eyes searched hers before the words trembled off his tongue. "Why do you… I just… don't you hate her, Maka?"

"No," Maka shrugged off the idea as easily as a shawl. "I hate her behavior. Same with my parents. I don't hate them, I just hate what they do. You can love someone and hate how they behave, Soul. That's why it's hurting you so much right now. I know you love her because you just do love your parents, but, and this is especially true when you get older, you can definitely learn to dislike what they choose to do."

His hand dug in, clenching into her to send a message of love rather than the harsh words he knew were on his lips, "Then why don't you ever give your parents the same shit?"

Maka sighed swiftly and patted his hand. "Because I'm not half as strong as you."

"That's bullshit," he muttered.

"No," Maka piggy-backed quickly, "or at least I don't think so. I can barely get the strength to tell them they hurt me in the first place. Though, I kind of did with Mama today."

Maybe Maka didn't mean to, but she easily flicked the switch in his brain. Soul was pressing down at the rest, air coming back because he needed it for her. "What did she do?"

Maka gave a sharp shake of her head. "Just something stupid and _very_ her. And I did it really to protect _you_, or us, I guess. It's easier than when it's just for me. Which is what I'm worried about with this. You gave your mother this choice because of _me_."

"It's an _us_, not a _you_," Soul corrected. "I mean, I do a lot of things for you, because of you, but…" He fidgeted the phone in his fingers. "This was a long time coming. OK, I'm going to call."

Maka pressed a tender kiss to his lips first, letting it linger in hopes of sucking away at least a modicum of the pain. "I love you."

"Love you," he murmured back before tapping his mother's name. Again, the suffocating stress of the unknown hit him, the fact that she could not pick up, that they could play phone-tag for days on end and he could live in that perpetual state. The terror only gripped him for a minute before the click of the connected line. "Hey, Mom, returning your call." How he managed to say that all in a steady line he had no idea and his strength felt zapped until Maka's hand brushed over the back of his neck.

"Thank you for calling back so quickly," Catherine was swift on the return but still subdued.

"It's no problem," Soul let out a trembling sigh. "I've been thinking about you a lot since we left."

"Thinking about all the horrible things I've done?" she offered flatly.

A hand was starting to constrict around his heart. Everything felt tenuous and one wrong word from him could tip some secret scale. "It's not that," his voice shook out in a pleading whisper. "Mom, I don't want to argue about the past."

"Tell me," her voice was still lifeless and unreadable, "Did I ever do anything _right_ for you, Soul?"

"Mom…" Soul was stammering, his fingers clenching tightly around the phone. "Of course, Mom, just… I think it stopped when Wes went away. I think everything went wrong when Wes started going away for school."

There was nothing but soft static until a shaking breath came from Catherine. "You got quiet then."

"Yeah," Soul urged and that tenuous grip on her didn't feel so frayed. "And I stopped asking or talking about what I wanted, so I think you just tried to pick up the slack by deciding what I needed for me, but that never worked. It can't work like that, Mom. I need you to listen to what I have to say now, not deciding _my_ things for yourself."

There was another intermission, another few breaths. "Tell me why you chose her."

Soul looked to Maka's face for inspiration, seeing the tentative smile there as his eyes danced over her features. "Because she never quits. Whether it's my stuff or her stuff, she doesn't want to give up until it's over and settled. Maybe she comes off a little headstrong," he nudged her cheek and got a smirk in return, "but it's because she's dedicated. If you let her, Mom, she'll do the same for you. She has for Lizzie, has for Wes. She wants us to be a family."

"A family…" there was a long sigh. "And you want that with her?"

"Yeah, of course," he laughed softly. "Kind of why I proposed. Wife and then… a family, eventually."

Maka added a snort of a laugh and mouthed, "_Baby-crazy."_

Soul rolled his eyes, trying to decide whether or not to mouth '_I said eventually'_ or just a straight '_no'_ when his mother murmured something so lightly that he had to strain against the phone. "What was that, Mom? I couldn't hear you."

"I want to try," Catherine murmured again barely at the threshold.

"You…" A delicate elation started to bloom in his chest. "You mean it?"

"I don't want to lose my son," came resolutely across the line.

The laugh from his mouth was sharp and breathless, words that he thought would only be part of his daydreams and not anywhere close to a reality he would ever live in. "Thanks, Mom," he whispered in true awe of the moment.

There was a forceful intake of breath on the other end before Catherine let out gently, "Is Maka there?"

"Yeah," Soul offered hesitantly as his eyes flicked to Maka's face.

"May I speak with her?"

"Give me a second." Soul very purposefully brought the phone down, hitting the mute button because he knew the disbelief that was going to pointedly drip off of each word. "My mom wants to talk to you."

Maka blinked, "Like in a good way?"

"She wants to try," his voice trembled back in reply.

"Good." Maka placed a swift peck on his lips before she stole the phone from his bewildered fingers. She hit the mute button again and moved it to her ear. "Hi, Catherine. How was Christmas?"

There was a second of disoriented silence before she latched on. "It was nice. Wes and Lizzie stayed for half the day before they left for her parents." There was another tentative pause but before Maka could fill it Catherine continued, "And how are your parents?"

"Both are fine. They're excited about the engagement," Maka tried to deliver that without gloating, just simple information on a mutual topic. Without prompting, Soul's words came back to her, the idea that she'd never give up, and the next words just flowed from her mouth. "I went dress shopping with my mom but I didn't like anything, really. I even went shopping just on a whim with Lizzie and I have to say it was the same thing. Maybe… maybe there's someplace _you_ could show me. I'm trying not to worry that I'll never find anything," she let a weak laugh close it, especially as Soul's fingers tightened around her free hand.

"I think that might be nice," came out slow and pronounced but not stinking of an ulterior meaning.

"The next time we come and visit then," Maka was able to say that with more breath in her lungs, the anticipation not killing her. "I assume it won't be that long from now."

Catherine's reply was quick this time, "No, I hope not."

"Good, well, I'll give you back to Soul-"

"Maka, wait."

It felt like a race to hand the phone back, to keep that moment just the way it was but now Maka feared a stumble coming her way. "Yes?"

"I hope that… if Soul wants us as a family, then I hope we can do that."

Maka took a moment to look into the scarlet eyes across from her, to feel the familiar way the pads of his fingers massaged into her hand. "I think we can, Catherine."


	36. Something Special

I realized it's been like an _eternity_ since I gave you some ****sexual content**** in this fic so here you go. Hot and definitely fluffy, though a little short.

* * *

They were barely through the door, bags just thudding to the floor, when Soul scooped her up. Maka thought for sure she was about to fall back, her arms frantically wrapping around his neck as he somehow got her legs around his waist with tight grips on the back of her thighs. "You left the front door open," Maka giggled.

He begrudgingly took a few steps back and she reached over his shoulder to push it shut as his lips traveled on her neck. While his mouth seemed all too busy he still managed to grumble against her skin, "Tell me where we're going tomorrow."

"Somewhere," she answered promptly.

He bit into the tender spot above her collarbone, just enough to drain away her teasing. "I'll torture it out of you."

"Right," she laughed as she rolled her eyes but he was nipping again, making her legs clench around him. "Somewhere where I can_not_ show up with hickies on my neck."

"That so?" His lips were latching now on her skin and she could swear he was somehow doing it with a smirk.

Maka risked it, arching her back and throwing them both dangerously off balance, Soul falling to a squat to catch her awkwardly in his lap. "Drop me," Maka managed through more giggles. He did as he was told since the distance only left her with a little bounce.

Soul plopped down on his ass in front of her, glad she hadn't moved her legs so he could grab at her thighs again and pull her closer. "So?"

"So?" Maka echoed.

"Tell me where," he urged again as his fingers climbed up her legs and disappeared under her skirt. He was hooking his fingers in the band of her panties when her hands clapped over his.

"I do _not_ want to be bare-ass on the floor!" But she was losing the battle and his hands had already managed to sneak out from under hers, bringing her panties with them. "Is this how you think you're going to _torture_ it out of me?"

"I have some ideas," Soul shrugged as he got them to her knees before letting go, glad that Maka picked up the slack and pulled her legs to her chest to get them the rest of the way off.

Maka raised her eyebrows as she tossed her underwear aside. "Like being on the floor in the hallway?" That sentence was barely out of her mouth before he was fulfilling her request by laying back and pulling her the rest of the way into his lap. "Are your pants coming off, or…?"

"Not yet," that beautiful smirk was back and for a moment, Maka breathed a giant sigh of relief. Not only was she more than overjoyed that he was so eager to break the dry spell, but the idea that he was so very much settled back into being Soul, not a worried mess that could barely be considered a functioning facsimile. "Come here." His fingers were saturated with need as they dug into the tender skin just above the curve of her thigh, pulling her forward on her knees.

"Come where?" But he was leading her forward, forcing her to negotiate her knees over his shoulders as she lifted her skirt so he wasn't playing peek-a-boo in the fabric. "Soul, what-"

That grip was relentless and he nipped at her thigh as he murmured, "Come here," again in a beautiful baritone that left her quivering in his hands.

Maka gathered her skirt in one hand and let the other brace against the wall as she eased her hips lower, his mouth eagerly diving to work. A moan immediately hiccuped from her mouth as her fingers tensed into the wall with no extra purchase. Soul was in no way taking it easy on her either, latching instantly on her clit and giving it dedicated attention. There weren't any slow lapping or playful nips at her legs anymore, just Soul using his hands to press her tighter to his mouth.

She was sure she was smothering him, that he couldn't possibly be receiving enough air to stay conscious but the relentless sucking and twirling of his tongue proved her wrong again and again. Even the way his fingers flexed and relaxed into her ass was driving her crazy, especially as he paused to drum on her every time she released another aching groan into the air. She could even ignore the hardwood digging into her knees because that wave had her gripped tightly and it was pulling her under. A low, rattled moan started in her chest and he held her down firmly to his face, licking out every last bit of pleasure from between her legs.

Without much strength left Maka fell forward on her hands, letting her skirt billow to create a wall of fabric that obscured his face. Now he had enough air and he used it to laugh as he lifted up the divide. "That was fun."

"Fun?" Maka panted as she dropped her head to look at him, that sweet smirk curling his lips just right.

"And you weren't bare-ass on the floor," he finished with a full-of-himself nod. Soul used his free hand to pat her ass lovingly. "You liked that position."

"I'm still recovering," Maka murmured.

Soul hummed a happy affirmative before tapping at her skin again. "That's what I want to hear."

She offered him a short laugh before starting to inch forward. "Are you coming with me or staying here?"

"I'll follow you anywhere, Maka Albarn," he answered dreamily as he let her out of his grasp.

She got to her feet and instantly started on her shirt, pulling it out of being tucked and then tossing it off in the process of stepping over him. Soul just took in the view for another minute, enjoying as she started to shimmy out of her skirt. He was up in a flash, shirt not necessarily mattering much first since he was desperate just to be locked into her. His first focus fell to his pants and boxers, ripping them off in one swoop and then struggling to get off his shoes at the same time. He was fairly close to doomed, getting a good laugh out of Maka in the process, but managed to throw all of them aside without clattering to the floor himself.

Soul was not too proud to admit that he'd been thinking about this since the moment they'd left Spirit's general vicinity and had preemptively stashed a condom in his pant's pocket which he happily plucked and started to unwrap. He had it on in a flash and was just quick enough to grab her before she got to the bed. His arm was around her waist, hand already pressing into one of her breasts as he walked her to the desk. "Put your knee up," he grunted before tasting her neck again.

With his free hand, he spread her leg wider before toying at her opening with his head. The angle was interesting and he had to dip his knees slightly to enter her, not fussing with going slow since she was so perfectly slick from his previous attention. He steadied that hand at her hip, holding her in place as he played with the speed and intensity of his stroke, making no conceivable pattern. His other arm moved away from her breast, coming back to curve around her shoulder so he could cup under her chin, forcing her back against him.

With her that close, Soul couldn't help himself. "I'm going to marry you," he panted in between thrusts, trying to slow down so his thoughts had enough time, "and I'm going to take as much time as I can to just make you feel this good every day. Because that's what I want. That's what, _oh fuck_," he breathed through a wave, sure he was going to lose to it already but holding on, "I think that's what I was fucking made for, to make you happy, Maka."

"Keep talking," she groaned. "I think… I think I'm going to-"

"Oh, you fucking better," he growled against her ear and threw caution to the wind, thrusting harder as he clutched at her neck. "It's what you deserve for sticking with me, dealing with this, being the best fucking partner that I could ever ask for. _Oh, shit_." He was crumbling because he could feel her tensing around him, her voice not catching up with that second climax because it was almost too much for her.

It was definitely delayed, this one at least an octave higher as it undulated from her lips with his thrusts that were now hitting without restraint. "Oh, fuck, Maka, yeah," he murmured deliriously against her shoulder before pressing a groan there, his legs locking and trembling as all that built pressure exploded in stars. All he had left was panting, slipping out of her but still holding strong to her neck so he could just angle her lips close enough to get to his. "I love you," he emphasized each word separately before chuckling breathily.

"What the hell was that, Soul Evans?" she murmured through her own haze, letting him steal another kiss before she bowed her head forward. "I mean, _I love you, too_, but _wow_."

Soul let the laughing continue and he forgot the idea of a quick clean-up or Maka's getaway as he kept her pinned against the desk. "Missed you, that's all."

"Missed me since you've seen me all week?" She tried to push against him but found it was useless and instead let his hands do the traveling they wanted as she waited patiently to be freed.

"Haven't been able to do _this_ all week," he corrected quickly. "And I know I've been, well, not exactly myself." Soul punctuated that with a kiss to her shoulder before giving her one more squeeze. "But this is it, Maka. This is you and me, married life, every day."

He gave her just enough space to turn around and Maka took it, savoring an easy, tender kiss from his lips. "If I'd have known that I would have said yes months ago."

Soul snorted one last laugh before detaching from her and starting the routine of cleaning, keeping half his attention on her as she flopped to the bed. "So where are we going?"

"That was your real motive," Maka flicked a finger in the air.

"Two orgasms should buy me at least one secret," he replied contently. He tossed the used condom and tissues in the trash before easing down next to her.

"I never read _Catcher in the Rye_ in high school," she delivered a quick kiss to his lips. "That's your secret."

He slid a hand from her hip, over her breast, and back to her neck before pulling her lips back to his. Somehow, Soul still felt hungry for her, refusing to let her get away with just another peck. "Tell me," he urged again as he nipped at her bottom lip.

"Different places," she murmured back with a peaceful sigh. "Tomorrow we're going to see Wes and Lizzie."

"Wes and Lizzie?" He jutted his head back to blink at her. "Our extravagant vacation includes my brother?"

Maka nodded while she let a glowing smile start to creep across her features. "This was going to be stressful for both of us. I kind of thought that it would actually go about a million times worse than it did. So, really, I planned little day trips for you and me. Nothing _huge_ because we're saving, remember," she chided before she brushed her lips to his again, "but enough that we're treating ourselves. And I think I'm pretty confident that one of your joys now is seeing your brother."

His breath stuttered a little as he sighed, shaking his head in wonder. "And since you're a mind-reader you guessed that I kind of wanted to unload this stuff about Mom with him, huh?"

Maka nodded confidently as she reached up and cleared the hair from his face. "Which means nothing special is planned besides going to their apartment for however long it takes you two to drink bourbon and figure it out."

Soul grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips and placing kisses on the pads of her fingers. "I told you I love you, right?"

"I think I've heard you mention it once or twice," she grinned. "Just don't get mad at me that we're not off to some other country in the next couple of days."

"Nah," he rolled his shoulders easily before bringing soft, searching eyes back to hers. "Maybe for the wedding, you know? I'm not saying eloping but… maybe something special. You deserve something special."

Maka sighed sweetly before slipping her fingers from his lips to his cheek. "I have a lot that's special, Soul. The two of us, _this,_" she let another warble of air leave her lips, "every part of this is."


End file.
